Tunnel Vision: In Conversation with Kyle Smith, the First-Ever NFL Fashion Editor

Calum Marsh September 24, 2025

When the NFL named Kyle Smith its first-ever fashion editor late last year, the announcement raised eyebrows in both the sports world and fashion press. It wasn’t entirely clear at first what the role would even entail. Smith had been working behind the scenes on the league’s social media team, producing content that highlighted player style, particularly what they wore to games, events, and fashion shows, favouring what the league refers to as “helmet-off” content. What started as content strategy began to look more and more like creative direction, and before long, Smith was helping players build personal brands, style themselves for fashion week, and navigate partnerships with designers and labels. The position was, in effect, his own invention.

Smith’s remit is broad and, as he admits, still evolving. He travels constantly — to fittings, shoots, and shows — so much so that he’s barely been home for more than a week since this past November, when he officially started his new position. He serves as a kind of bridge between the league and the fashion industry, advocating for players as style icons at a time when many brands still don’t consider football players their domain. That work culminated with this year’s Met Gala, where Smith, who considers the event his second Super Bowl, helped coordinate appearances by nearly a dozen NFL athletes. The league’s presence was impossible to ignore — a sort of coming-out party, on fashion’s biggest stage, for a sport still discovering its aesthetic power.

I know you were already working with the organization, but when this particular job came up and was on the table, how was it presented to you? Like, did they specifically come to you and say, “We’d like a fashion editor,” or was it more like you defined the role?

Yeah. I brought it up. Previously, I was on the social media team as a programmer, kind of identifying player stories — whether it’s the best tunnel fits of the week, or helping players create custom content of us going into their closets and getting ready for a tunnel fit. The position came up after Paris Fashion Week. I just said, “I think we need to have someone really focused on fashion, and I think I’m the person who can do it.”

“What I know about Gen Z is that they understand the impact fashion can have. They all grew up with social media and understand that image can do a lot, and fashion’s a big part of that image.”

Kyle Smith

And how did you define the range of your responsibilities? How did you envision it?

The vision was kind of always just helping our athletes tell their stories through fashion. I think fashion’s a great way for players to help grow their personal brand and help our fans understand who they are off the field and the things that drive them.

And so when we were kind of figuring out what this job entails, it was also like — well, this is very new. We don’t know what this job entails. People ask me all the time, like, “What do you do?” I’m like, “I figure it out every day.” It’s always a new thing, as we try to figure out and navigate the NFL’s positioning in fashion. But in the end, I always say it comes down to supporting our athletes, helping them grow, and helping the league grow.

So, going back to the social media aspect, when you were kind of carving out this space and highlighting things on social media, was the organization just not set up to think about this? Like, were you saying, “Hey, this is an opportunity you’re not really seizing”?

I think the league has a lot of people who are really, really good at football. But do they have someone who’s really a part of the fashion community and understands fashion? That’s how I started. I started as a stylist for the network, styling the hosts of the network. That was my first time ever watching anything to do with sports.

And I would see them talk about players as they were coming in for each game, but they would talk about them as the best quarterback or the best wide receiver. And I was like, “This is the best outfit I’ve ever seen.” This is Alessandro Michele Gucci, fresh off the runway. Like, that’s a story that can be told.

So, I think they were really good at telling the “football stories,” but there wasn’t somebody trying to identify the fashion story. And that’s where I saw the opportunity.

“I will never say something negative about something someone is wearing. In the end, it’s always an expression of themselves, and I love that they’re out there doing whatever it is they want to do.”

Kyle Smith

I’m sure it’s a huge range of personalities and types, but for the most part, are the people you’re working with already enthusiastic about fashion? Or are you needing to bring some of them along on this journey?

I always say: we all get dressed every day. So, I think we all participate in fashion on some level, whether or not we know it or leverage it to our advantage. But what I know about Gen Z is that they understand the impact fashion can have. They all grew up with social media and understand that image can do a lot, and fashion’s a big part of that image.

So, I’ve seen — especially with the younger players entering the league — they know they’re going to be seen whether or not they like it. How they dress and what they put on can do a lot for them. And I think they’re all super interested in fashion and knowing it could be a powerful tool.

But the same as anybody — athlete or not — some people don’t care about fashion and will just wear whatever. In the end, these are people showing up for their job. Some players just want to put on sweatpants and show up to work, do their job, go home to their family, have a nice dinner, and watch Love Island. Other players are investing in stylists and marketing agents to really make sure they’re on top of fashion and using it as effectively as possible.

So, to your question — a lot of players don’t need pushing. They really understand the value.

I was interested in the challenges of styling football players — in the sense that their physique is obviously different than styling someone who’s six-foot-two, 200 pounds. What kind of challenges does that present from a styling point of view?

I don’t know the averages, but honestly, I think a lot more are six-foot-two, 200 pounds than people assume. It’s not that crazy. I think once you get to more of the offensive players — the ones who are really big and really, really athletic — that can be more of a challenge. I was dressing an offensive player, and we got a lot of things that were really cool and fit. But I always love Yohji Yamamoto, and I was wearing these Yohji Yamamoto pants. And you know how he plays with all the proportions and silhouettes. I was like, “Let’s try these on you.”

So, I took the pants off my body, put them on him — I’m like a waist size 33, he’s like a waist size 40 — and like Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, they fit him. I was like, “You are going to be wearing these pants for your press tour.”

“That’s why I love working with athletes. They will never be in a room they don’t want to be in. They only do the things that bring them joy — whatever it is they want to do.”

Kyle Smith

I would love to just hear a little bit about how the Met Gala came together and what you felt made it such a success.

The theme that year [Superfine: Tailoring Black Style], I think, was very, very timely. And of course, there’s a huge sports aspect to it. I think that’s what made it successful — this is a theme people care about. They haven’t done menswear in a really, really long time, or focused on men’s style in a long time. And so, it was a very organic fit to have a lot of athletes there.

A lot of brands recognized the opportunity to include NFL athletes. And I just made sure that we were covering it from the NFL side — that our players felt supported in understanding the theme and why it matters. Because for a lot of our athletes, yes, they like fashion or like to go shopping — but to understand the importance of the Met Gala and putting them on an international stage is super important. I don’t want any of our players to feel uncomfortable in that space. So, I just made sure that they understood the value of it — what it’s based on, the text it’s based off, something I think is really important and matters. I wanted to make sure they all felt comfortable.

And in the end, it was a great result for the league.

The last thing I wanted to ask you about — just because to me it jumps out as one of the most noteworthy NFL fashion moments of the last year — Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce at the US Open last September. The Gucci bucket hat. The Prada outfit. Yea or nay from you?

I will never say something negative about something someone is wearing. In the end, it’s always an expression of themselves, and I love that they’re out there doing whatever it is they want to do. That’s something I’ve learned from athletes and really taken to heart — just do whatever you want to do.

Go do it. That’s why I love working with athletes. They will never be in a room they don’t want to be in. They only do the things that bring them joy — whatever it is they want to do.

And so, to see them out there having a really fun time with their partners at a tennis match — that’s awesome. You look great. If you’re having fun, you look great.