Nike and MOX have turned sportswomen into stars plastered across city streets and bedroom walls, for the debut of the US National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) 2025 kit.
Elevating NWSL plays while heroing the new Nike kits, the digital and print campaign saw photographer Emily Lipson capture the players as star-status individuals, nostalgically recalling times when icons were found in fold-out magazine posters. But rather than framing the women’s league through a reductive, dated lens, the digital and print campaign shows off their grit and toughness through an injection of movement and expression.
Emily's work feels timeless and textural, which made her a great fit for the creative. Her work treads the line of appearing old school and analogue, but it always has a fresh, modern spin to it which is especially present in the way she's able to connect and capture her subjects.
Key to the campaign was MOX’s all-women team, who ensured the NWSL athletes felt comfortable and confident enough to shine on set. As each player was to be photographed in full performance wear, the team found ways to introduce variation and personality through small styling cues, from rolled-up sleeves to ribbons in hair.
MOX wanted to work with creatives who are linked to the football world, understanding the players style and their background which led them to work with stylist Sam Herzog, co-founder of Systema Rosa – a platform aiming to bridge football and fashion.
Transforming the soccer players into household names, the collection of images can be seen across Instagram, Nike live events, Mundial magazine, and in the wild around New York and LA.
Vilde Røsjø Tobiassen, senior art director at MOX and lead creative on the campaign, commented, “We really wanted to showcase the strength of these athletes. So often, athlete shoots and particularly female athlete shoots feel very repetitive and very ‘cutesy’ – they often feel a bit immature and like a college shoot. We wanted to elevate these press assets and create something that the players felt confident in and that represented their spirit on and off the pitch. We hope that we achieved this with many of the women updating their Instagram profile pictures and pinning their posts to the top of their pages."