Fashion brand Blakely appoints MatchFit after landmark Norwich City football partnership

Blakely Clothing, the global men’s and women’s fashion brand, has appointed sports communications agency MatchFit to lead on earned storytelling around a huge period of growth within the UK.

Following the signing of an innovative partnership with Norwich City Football Club – which sees Blakely become one of the first fashion brands ever to be front-of-shirt sponsors of a football club – MatchFit will lead on creative activations and communications at the intersection of football and fashion.

Blakely was created in 2012 as a passion project by founder Gareth Newman in his Norfolk home, but has recently enjoyed significant growth to become one of the leading athleisure brands in the UK. In the last 12 months, the business has recorded global sales worth in excess of £37m.

With Blakely still headquartered in Norfolk, the role as ‘principal partner’ of Norwich City seeks to engage and inspire the local community. As well as adorning the match and training kits, Norwich City and Blakely will also launch a dual-branded collection over the coming months that will be available in-store and online.

MatchFit is leading on creative and execution around earned and sponsorship campaign work, as well as brand PR and storytelling around Blakely’s brand growth.

Gareth Newman, CEO and Founder of Blakely said; “We’re delighted to have selected MatchFit as our retained communications agency at this incredibly exciting time for Blakely. Now is the time to invest in our brand story to take things to another level and to engage with our local communities, something we feel this landmark partnership with Norwich City can help us achieve.  

We feel that MatchFit are perfectly placed to help us navigate the world of fashion and football together for the first time, and are already enjoying working with the team!”

Donald Parish, Co-Founder of MatchFit, said; “We’re really excited to begin working with Blakely at this lift-off moment for the brand. With their deep Norfolk roots, the partnership with Norwich City is truly authentic, and rich with storytelling potential. 

It was clear from our first conversation with Gareth and the team that Blakely are a perfect cultural fit for MatchFit, with an ambition to build a unique partnership and activate a sponsorship in a completely different way. The crossover between football and fashion is an increasingly fascinating space to play in, and we can’t wait to get started.”  

The news comes at an exciting period of growth for MatchFit who – with this latest announcement – expands its existing client roster which includes The FA, LiveScore, Manchester City, The LTA, Topps, The EFL, Blast and The EFL.

For more information on how you can get MatchFit, visit http://www.matchfit.agency/.