Vuori Leans Into Athlete Partnerships in Performance Wear Pivot
NFL QB Jared Goff joins Vuori’s growing lineup of athlete ambassadors, highlighting the apparel brand’s strategy of building credibility in performance wear through high-profile partnerships
Vuori is leaning deeper into athlete partnerships as it continues its evolution from lifestyle-first apparel into performance wear.
The Encinitas, California-based brand announced that Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff will join its ambassador lineup, marking the latest in a series of high-profile collaborations designed to showcase Vuori’s credibility in performance wear.
The partnership with Goff builds on Vuori’s growing roster of ambassadors. Earlier this year, the brand brought on Jack Draper, Britain’s top-ranked tennis player and world number five, in a multi-year deal that includes a forthcoming signature line. Draper debuted the partnership at the U.S. Open, marking Vuori’s accelerated push into tennis as it looks to expand globally.
Vuori has also leaned into the fast-changing NIL landscape, signing LSU gymnast Livvy Dunne, one of the most recognizable names in college athletics, alongside Arch Manning, a quarterback at the University of Texas. On the football front, Vuori also partnered with Colston Loveland, a tight end for the Chicago Bears, and expanded into action sports through freestyle skier Thibault Magnin.
Goff will be featured across Vuori’s 2025 campaigns, spanning branded content, lifestyle storytelling and product-focused visuals designed to showcase the brand’s values of integrity, movement and balance. For Vuori, the partnership reflects a growing commitment to performance credibility in a space long dominated by competitors like Nike and Lululemon.
“We’re thrilled to partner with Jared Goff – an athlete whose mindset, work ethic, and character represent everything Vuori is about,” said Joe Kudla, the founder and CEO of Vuori. “Jared brings a thoughtful, modern approach to performance that mirrors how we design for movement, recovery, and everyday life.”
The Goff collaboration comes at a moment of significant growth for Vuori. In late 2024, the California-based activewear company announced an $825 million investment led by General Atlantic and Stripes, raising its valuation to $5.5 billion. The funding followed a $400 million SoftBank-led round in 2021 and supports Vuori’s plans to expand to more than 100 stores worldwide by 2026, with an emphasis on Europe and Asia.
Vuori has also deepened its ties to the fitness community, recently expanding a partnership with functional fitness method Pvolve to give members exclusive access to Vuori apparel. The recent investment into athlete partnerships seems to signal the brand’s desire to be taken seriously by the performance activewear space and be seen as more than just an athleisure brand.