Loungewear Brand Butterblu Launches College Edit With Division I Athletes
Butterblu, a loungewear brand, has launched a college collection fronted by athletes from some of the best-known university sports programmes in the United States. The line is called the Campus Edit, and the campaign uses Division I athletes, the top tier of college sport in the US, along with students from five schools. WWD reported the campaign.
Loungewear is comfortable clothing for relaxing, lounging and everyday wear. Butterblu says the Campus Edit features top college students, Division I athletes and friends wearing its pieces. Butterblu's own campaign page describes the line in those terms.
The faces of the campaign come from Duke, Florida State, Notre Dame, Boston College and UC Santa Barbara. Duke is represented by tennis player Cooper Williams, women's soccer player Avery Oder and men's soccer player Úlfur "Wolf" Björnsson. Florida State's campaign athlete is tennis player Azariah Rusher. Boston College's is football player Luca Lombardo. Notre Dame women's soccer players Chayse Ying, Charlie Codd, Clare Logan and Morgan Roy also appear.
The roster covers men's and women's tennis, soccer, field hockey and surfing. Butterblu is adding more schools each week, according to WWD.
The campaign will run across the brand's website, social media, email and paid advertising. It will also appear alongside retailers Amazon, Target, Macy's and Nordstrom, which sell the clothing to shoppers. WWD reported that the combined athlete and team reach of the campaign is about 2 million people.
The brand also plans a longer project. WWD reported that Butterblu is making a documentary-style campaign that will run for 12 to 24 months. It will follow the athletes as they develop in their sports and in daily life.
Michelle Visser founded Butterblu. The company has not said how much it is spending on the campaign.
For shoppers, the practical change is that the same clothes now appear with names and faces attached, and in several retail outlets at once. For the athletes, the work is paid promotion, with a campaign that stretches well beyond a single photo shoot.
