Not since the late Shane Warne, who over the course of his relationship with model-actor Elizabeth Hurley became fluent in luxury label-speak, has cricket had such a healthy crop of style icons.
As public expectations shift around the values our national sporting identities should represent, so has the calibre of brands lining up for sponsorships. Gone are the days when the Test side was mostly sponsored by “blokey” brands, including beer and home appliances. Instead, luxury clothing and watch brands are investing in sport as much as Hollywood, with cricket gradually earning a “glamour” label alongside tennis, Formula 1 and sailing.
Shane Warne paid a lot more attention to fashion during his time dating Elizabeth Hurley.Credit: Sebastian Costanzo
At Wimbledon this European summer, Australian Test captain Pat Cummins made best-dressed lists for his textured grey suit by Melbourne brand Dyonsu and Carrera sunglasses (Cummins is an ambassador for the brand). He has also collaborated with Dior – he wore a suit by the LVMH-owned label for his 2022 wedding to wife Becky – and luxury watch brand Hublot, which also has an association with former Australian skipper Michael Clarke.
Watch brand Rado has also recognised the global appeal of cricket, and recently appointed Australian all-rounder Cam Green to its line-up of ambassadors (it also sponsors the English men’s squad, and tennis champion Ash Barty).
Rado’s chief executive, Adrian Bosshard, says the brand chose Green, a self-confessed watch novice who visited the brand’s Swiss headquarters to further his knowledge, because of his “quest for excellence in every aspect” of cricket.
Green, 25, was announced as a Rado ambassador earlier this year, but is spending his first summer representing the brand on the sidelines after surgery to repair a stress fracture of his spine, which should see him return to the national squad in the first half of 2025.
Cam Green in a campaign for Rado (left) and Pat Cummins at Wimbledon wearing Dyonsu and Carrera.
Bosshard says accepting players get injured is part and parcel of any sponsorship. “As a former [professional] motorcycle racer, I am very aware that injuries are a part of everyday life of an athlete,” he says.
The relationship between fashion and sport goes back centuries. In the early days of cricket, men played in dandy ensembles of frilled shirts, breeches and buckled shoes. It was in the late 18th century that the current-day “whites”, which are synonymous with cable-knit vests and jumpers, emerged as the dominant uniform.
The quintessential cricket jumper features a boxy cut, V-neck and often has striped trims, and became popular during the 1920s to 1950s in part due to heritage brands such as Alan Paine and Colhay’s.
Australian label R.Sport has a cricket range in development whose release will possibly be timed to next year’s Ashes series. Founder Anthony Puliatti says it’s a natural fit for a cricket obsessive such as himself (Puliatti played to a senior amateur level through to his 20s, when injury stopped him from going further).
He says R.Sport has drawn plenty of inspiration from cricket style, especially for the brand’s track pants, whose design – in white or cream and pleated, through to the fit and fabric – is “inspired by pants I wore growing up, playing the game”.
“I love the traditional side of the sport,” he says. “There is so much etiquette to the garments, and how you should wear them, from the polos to button-ups and the caps.”
Although soccer, a sport heavily represented in R.Sport’s range, is “having a really big run”, Puliatti thinks there is “definitely room for cricket [in fashion]; I just think it’s a bit more subtle at the moment.”
“There is a cool side to cricket,” he says. “People may pigeonhole it [as] a ‘boring’ game but once you understand the depths of it … there is a really cool, fascinating side to it. There is [also] a real stylish side to it.”
Still, despite the strong ties between cricket and fashion, female players are behind their male counterparts when it comes to brand deals and collaborations. But with some, especially India’s Harmanpreet Kaur and Australian Ellyse Perry, boasting massive social media followings, parity – at least in fashion – is only a matter of time.
As for what one should wear to the cricket as a spectator, there are few rules, except in the members’ areas at some stadiums, where collars and closed shoes are required. Still, if you’re looking for match-day inspiration, there is plenty around.
In Hedi Slimane’s final menswear collection for Celine before exiting the house, blazers took inspiration from both cricket and rowing, while Ralph Lauren, which in Australia now has a firm association with tennis and the Australian Open, also carries a range of cricket jumpers and vests. Or you could just raid your local sports store.
The writer travelled to Perth as a guest of Rado.
Make the most of your health, relationships, fitness and nutrition with our Live Well newsletter. Get it in your inbox every Monday.