The Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Games had a long list of marquee global sponsors. Airbnb, Alibaba, Coca-Cola, Deloitte, Visa—the list goes on and on. So what’s a brand to do that wants to get in on the Olympic action, but perhaps doesn’t have a “worldwide Olympic partner”-level commitment to make?
I was intrigued by this year’s effort by J. Crew, which may be informative for other brands figuring out how to get in on any cultural moment—Olympic or not. Last year, the U.S. retailer (which does about $3 billion in sales a year) kicked off a multi-year partnership with U.S. Ski and Snowboard. The idea was that J. Crew isn’t a sportswear brand like Nike or Adidas, but it has a rich history in outdoor lifestyle, from its catalog photoshoots to its product. Similar to Ralph Lauren, it is known as a heritage, Americana-style brand. But with Ralph dominating Team USA, what else was there to do?
J. Crew instead leaned into the “après” part of ski with a collection of themed sweaters and other clothing. The brand popped up with U.S. Ski at a U.S.-based competition, but also made sure to capitalize on U.S. Ski athletes’ presence in Milan. While athletes were decked out in performance gear, their friends and family could wear J. Crew U.S. Ski apparel. That was the case for skier Tess Johnson, whose family wore the merch in Milan.
