Dean and Dan Caten must have a thing for Spain.
After recently joining the brand ambassadorship craze by naming Spanish music sensation Bad Gyal as their brand’s first ambassador, the Dsquared2 founders are adding a male counterpart to this new strategy by tapping another local talent. The duo zeroed in on FC Barcelona soccer player Fermín López to represent their brand in upcoming global campaigns and international events.
“We have always been inspired by the passion of athletes, and Fermín is a true standout. His energy as a playmaker is electric, and off the pitch, he has a natural, cool attitude that fits the Dsquared2 DNA perfectly,” said the designers in a joint statement.
An attacking midfielder or winger for La Liga club as well as for the Spain national team, López praised the Catens “for how they blend edge with elegance.”
“Fashion is a way for me to express who I am outside of the pitch, and I feel a natural connection to the brand’s energy and creativity,” said the player who, following his breakthrough at Barcelona, was part of Spain’s UEFA Euro 2024 and 2024 Olympic Games-winning squad. The 23-year-old talent is fresh from one of the most productive seasons of his career this year, but he recently suffered a foot fracture that ruled him out of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
In an interview with WWD last week, Dsquared2 SpA’s chief executive officer Chiara Baravalle explained the thinking behind the company’s new brand ambassadorship strategy. She addressed how Dsquared2 today has a loyal and predominantly male Millennial customer base, an asset that the firm intends to protect while also looking to expand its reach. “Our next phase of growth requires strengthening our connection with younger consumers, many of whom already engage with the brand but have not yet converted into customers,” Baravalle said.
To be sure, the tie-up with López is not only poised to attract a young audience but also strengthen the Catens’ strong fascination with sports, which play a recurrent theme in their collections and side activations. In the realm of soccer in particular, in the past the Canadian duo embarked on projects ranging from designing the off-field attire for Turin’s Juventus Football Club’s in 2006 to tapping soccer star Zlatan Ibrahimović for its spring 2021 advertising campaign as well as developing with him the Icon Ibrahimović x Dsquared2 capsule collection and “Black on Black” fall 2022 range.
