How Thom Browne Became Lionel Messi’s Tailor of Choice

Thom Browne’s biggest fashion show of the season wasn’t at Paris Fashion Week. It was yesterday outside Wembley Stadium in London on a short, impromptu, parking lot runway. That’s where F.C. Barcelona strode into the arena for their Champions League match against Tottenham, decked out head-to-toe in Browne’s signature grey suits, white oxford cloth button-downs, and black pebble grain wingtips. Barça forward Lionel Messi, arguably the most famous footballer in the world, couldn’t even wait till the match to ’Gram his brand new kit for his 98.8 million followers. F.C. Barcelona’s several-hundred-million-strong fanatics are used to seeing the team in Nike sweatsuits, but for the next three years, for every away Champions League and La Liga match, they’ll be repping tailoring from one of high fashion’s most visionary creative minds. It’s time for the non-fashion-speaking world to meet Thom Browne. (Neymar Jr., for his part, left this show review in Messi’s comments: “Nunca te vi tan guapo,”—I’ve never seen you so handsome.)

The debut of Thom Browne as the Spanish club’s official off-pitch outfitter is just the latest wave in the surging relevance of the American designer’s trademark shrunken silhouette, first introduced 17 years ago. Last spring, LeBron James commissioned similar Thom Browne outfits for the Cleveland Cavalier’s road games during the NBA playoffs. (The efficacy of the suits was unclear, but they looked damn good.) Soon after, in July, the three-year Barça deal was announced. Then, on August 28, Ermenegildo Zegna Group revealed it had acquired an 85% stake in Thom Browne for $500 million, giving the New York-based atelier the backing of one of the largest menswear brands and manufacturers in the world. This followed a decade of steady global retail expansion and sales figures that in recent years surged past $100 million annually. Browne has more than proved that his aesthetic is not, as some once thought, a mere trend that would soon fall by fashion’s wayside. “I’ve said for a long time that what I do should be understandable by a lot more people,” Browne says. “That is what’s exciting for all of us, is that [the Barcelona collaboration] is reaching a lot more people that, I think in a way, never even considered wearing Thom Browne.”

Browne himself comes from a sporting background; he was a college swimmer at Notre Dame and remains an avid runner. Sartorially rich sports like tennis, skiing, sailing and equestrian have provided ample inspiration for his high-concept runway collections. But when the Cavs stepped out in Thom Browne, a minor shockwave rippled throughout the fashion industry. Thom Browne, darling of fashion insiders and West Village flaneurs, a brand that even keeps its distance from Hollywood, is getting in the business of dressing... athletes? “I’m a huge fan of people that are the best at what they do,” Browne tells me from London, where he’s just arrived for the match. “And the idea of representing a singular unit in this type of uniform, I thought, was a really strong message as well.” The athlete outreach is not part of an overarching strategy, nor is it a post-Zegna power play. Simply put, a lot of basketball and soccer players are already Thom Browne clients. Like the Cavs project, the F.C. Barcelona collaboration came together organically; the club called the Thom Browne CEO to ask if the brand would be interested in dressing the players, and Browne, after giving it some thought, green lit the deal.

As long as Thom Browne is dressing the F.C. Barcelona players, you won’t see them boarding the team plane in 4-bar-striped cashmere sweatpants. Like with the Cavs, they’ll wear the same codified Thom Browne uniform: the label’s foundational grey suit. “I was very specific, in order for people to see the importance of the collaboration, and why we were doing it, that they saw me in the collaboration,” Browne says, “that being the classic grey suit. And they wanted to represent Thom Browne in the most pure way, and that was what was so interesting about it.” It’s easy to see why the designer, who once distributed styling guidelines for his suits, wants to keep the team looking like an army of Thom Browne models: the sun never sets on the Barça empire. F.C. Barcelona is, by some metrics, the most popular professional sports team on the planet, boasting upward of 300 million followers on social media.

How does he maintain the brand identity he’s carefully crafted while going mass? Partly, he says, it will rely on the uninitiated learning what the red-white-and-blue grosgrain stripe is all about. “I think when you see the players in the clothing, you see exactly how the collection can be more approachable, because there’s so much of the collection that is just really well made classic clothing.” When it comes to the company’s aesthetics being remixed by new customers, Browne has loosened his tie ever so slightly. “I do appreciate when people have their own sensibility and their own take on what I do,” he says. “Of course, we’re going to offer our advice on how it should be worn. But I love when people actually have their own personality and have their own sense of style with it.”

Following his hot streak, Browne is eyeing further retail expansion. “We’re looking to open up a lot more stores,” he says, which is where Zegna’s influence will likely be felt. “I’m sure they can help with the power they have around the world in regards to retail.” Browne insists that his brand will use Zegna’s resources when it makes sense to, and continue to operate independently. But expect to see his collection expand even further from core suiting. “Even as we grow, as long as we keep our own unique sensibility, I really feel there is still so much we can add to the collection, as long as we don’t compromise quality.” One of the things he says he’s been thinking of adding? Proper athletic-wear. Might Thom Browne on-field kits one day grace the turf of Wembley?

Who knows—but never say never. Because Thom Browne, whose more avant-garde works have been featured in the Met, is actually quite the soccer fan. “I do watch it a lot because I’m in Europe so much,” Browne says, adding that one of his six brothers plays professionally. When asked for his prediction for the match, it was “F.C. Barcelona all the way.” Browne was right: Barça won 4-2, a match clinched with two goals by Messi.

At this high point in his career, when Browne is richer, more successful, and more famous than ever before, we can allow him a moment of reflection. When asked about the most important business decision he’s made, he remarks, “The simplest way to put it is that I’ve always been true to myself. And I’ve always followed my instincts. And I’ve said no to a lot of things and to a lot of people. Which has not always been easy, but now I’m sitting here and I’m looking back and I thank god that I did.”

Style Roundtable

The O.G.’s behind Awake NY, Union, and Noah are using dad caps, hoodies, and rugby shirts to cultivate a new generation of politically activated cool kids.