London Lions launch jacket collaboration with Beautiful Struggles brand

By

Nigel TAYLOR

Published
Mar 29, 2023

Pro basketball team The London Lions has secured a “landmark collaboration” with fashion label Beautiful Struggles to produce its Euro Varsity Jacket. The limited-edition jacket has made its debut public appearance against Turk Telekom -- the final home fixture in its domestic EuroCup season.

It comes as more and more fashion labels big and small are keen to link up with sports clubs that add a new twist to their output, put them in front of new consumers and emphasise the comfort and practicality of the fashion brands' offer.

The jacket has been made “to immortalise the Lions' roster and commemorate a record-breaking season for the club” as its women's team is positioned “as one of the most dominant outfits in UK sport” after an impressive 52-game unbeaten domestic streak while the men's team has become the first-ever British side to make the playoff rounds of the EuroCup.

A sense of “European adventure” is at the heart of the collaboration with shared stories of the Lions' roster and those of former USMNT international footballer and Beautiful Struggles founder Danny Williams, “informing the fusion of European heritage and contemporary American culture” that inspires the design. 

This includes the reimagining of the patches on a varsity -- traditionally used to represent the personal awards of collegiate students earned in athletics & academics -- “to pay homage to the ‘badges of honour’ earned by both Lions’ teams throughout the European season”.

Each patch represents a specific chapter in the evolution of the London team as a British basketball franchise. This includes the signature globe logo on the reverse, the crown iconography to the chest, the signature of its E20 London postcode , as well the ‘Life Is A Beautiful Struggle’ logo stitched into the heart of the jacket. 

Meanwhile, as the Lions prepare to enter the playoff rounds of the EuroCup, the jacket will be worn by the team as the club's official pre-game uniform. The official launch of the Varsity Jacket dropped exclusively via the London Lions website on 28 March.