Versus Partners with Creative Director Ashley Champ to Launch TUNL, The Creative Intersection of Sports, Fashion, and Culture

New interdisciplinary platform to celebrate launch at inaugural TUNL Gala during New York Fashion Week in partnership with Spotify and hosted by Roc Nation's Lenny Santiago

Gala to feature a headline performance from Grammy Award-winning producer

Collaborations with Mifland, PINKFlamingoUSA x PRIX will be available following the TUNL Gala

NEW YORK, Aug. 29, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Versus, in partnership with Creative Director, Ashley Champ, proudly announces the launch of TUNL, a groundbreaking interdisciplinary media and e-commerce platform where sports, fashion, and culture converge.

Named after the cultural phenomenon surrounding "tunnel fits" — the tradition of athletes donning stylish pre-game outfits that revolutionized the fashion industry — TUNL will centralize sports-meets-fashion culture with content, commerce, and community through collaborations with culture-driving designers and organizations, its online marketplace, and annual TUNL Gala.

TUNL's founding team consists of influential luminaries across the sports, fashion, and entertainment sectors. Lenny Santiago, SVP of Roc Nation, serves as a Strategic Advisor and partner, bringing his unparalleled expertise as a culture connector and innovator. Les Green, former CEO of SLAM! and LeagueFits, a leading media platform for NBA fashion, is also on board as a strategic advisor. The fashion and design team features Brittany Hampton, a Creative Consultant and Stylist for notable athletes and clients such as Jordan brand and Stockx, who now serves as TUNL's Creative Strategy Director, and Desyree Nicole, Owner of Todd Patrick and creative consultant, who leads as Design Director.

Versus, a powerhouse creative studio founded by Creative Director and former pro skateboarder Justin Barnes, is TUNL's production and founding partner. The studio's Rob Meyers will serve as TUNL's Managing Director, and Mark Grande will serve in a dual role as Executive Producer for both entities. Founded in 2013, Versus has produced some of the most memorable and award-winning content, commercials, and campaigns in the industry. With years of experience collaborating with top brands, leagues, athletes, and networks, Versus now has an eye toward building a dedicated sports practice alongside other leaders and trailblazers, with exciting announcements coming soon. This powerhouse team underscores TUNL's commitment to merging the worlds of sports and fashion with authenticity and innovation.

"Athletes have made undeniable contributions to fashion, creating a new subculture that is decentralized across the luxury and streetwear scenes," said Ashley Champ, TUNL founder and Versus VP of Brand Partnerships & Talent. "We created TUNL to fill that gap. Through our brand partnerships, designer collaborations, merch drops, and the TUNL Gala, we'll celebrate the reverberations of sports and fashion in culture and let fans take part in moments that have previously felt exclusive."

TUNL will debut the inaugural TUNL Gala at Spring Studios during New York Fashion Week SS25 in partnership with Spotify and will feature a headline performance from a Grammy Award-winning producer. The event will serve as a convergence of top athletes from various professional leagues, designers, and cultural trendsetters, setting the stage for TUNL's mission to honor athlete's influence and impact in fashion. The event will feature a "tunnel walk," exclusive lounge spaces for every sport, and a marketplace showcasing TUNL's merch collaborations.

In addition to Spotify, partners include D'USSÉ as the official spirit, Unrivaled —the groundbreaking professional women's basketball league co-founded by Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart that is set to change the landscape of women's basketball—and Signet Jewelers + and Zales, who will be displaying their Zales x Prince limited-edition capsule collection and official diamond-studded racket made in honor of the US Open. Zales and Prince created a custom-branded tennis racket featuring over 205 total carats of natural diamonds sourced from De Beers Group and valued at $2.5M USD. Zales and De Beers Group are partnering to educate the next generation of diamond buyers on the extraordinary rare and timeless properties of natural diamonds. A donation will also be made to the Hav a Sol Foundation, which provides new sneakers and apparel to the homeless and youth in low-income areas nationwide. By partnering with Hav a Sol, TUNL is committed to supporting local communities and ensuring everyone can feel a part of the TUNL experience regardless of their income.

"TUNL is catering to a whitespace in the market that has long gone untapped, especially as we've seen how athletes have impacted the luxury fashion sector in the digital era," said Lenny Santiago, TUNL advisor and SVP, Roc Nation. "Launching the brand during New York Fashion Week positions us right at the heart of where fashion meets culture. The timing is perfect because the dialogue around the intersection of sports and fashion has never been more vibrant with the recent Olympic games and Vogue World. We're seeing how athletes are no longer just participants in fashion—they're leaders in it. TUNL is stepping in to give that movement the recognition and platform it deserves."

The TUNL platform will launch with exclusive collections with Mifland, PINKFlamingoUSA x PRIX, and signature TUNL merch in the coming months. These collaborations mark the beginning of TUNL's commitment to bridging the gap between high fashion and streetwear, making previously exclusive fashion accessible to a broader audience. Collections will continue to be a pillar of the TUNL brand, with frequent designer collaborations and capsules dropping throughout the next year. Stay tuned for news of upcoming drops at the TUNL Marketplace on thetunl.com

For more information, please contact [email protected].

About TUNL
TUNL Entertainment is an interdisciplinary media and e-commerce company dedicated to amplifying athletes and exploring the creative intersection of sports, fashion, and culture. We bridge the gap between high fashion and streetwear designers globally, making exclusive fashion accessible to the everyday consumer. Our flagship event, the Annual TUNL Gala, held during New York Fashion Week, celebrates athletes' contributions to fashion and culture, driving sales through custom capsules and e-commerce integration. To learn more, visit thetunl.com and follow on Instagram.

About Versus
Versus is the new breed of creative and production studio, artfully crafting, highly creative, one-of-a-kind work and I.P. for brands, agencies, and entertainment partners that strive for ownable originality. Clients include the world's most influential brands and agencies, including Audible, Disney, Paramount, MTV, Facebook, JBL, Mercedes, and the NFL. Dive into their award-winning work at www.weareversus.tv

About Spotify
Spotify's mission is to unlock the potential of human creativity by giving a million creative artists the opportunity to live off their art and billions of fans the opportunity to enjoy and be inspired by it. Spotify's platform revolutionized music listening forever when we launched in 2008. Our move into podcasting brought innovation and a new generation of listeners to the medium, and in 2022, we entered the next audio market primed for growth with the addition of audiobooks.

Today, more listeners than ever can discover, manage and enjoy over 100 million tracks, 6 million podcast titles, and 350,000 audiobooks a la carte on Spotify. We are the world's most popular audio streaming subscription service with more than 626 million users, including 246 million subscribers in more than 180 markets.

SOURCE TUNL