Dive Brief:
- Lifestyle fashion brand True Religion launched its 2025 holiday campaign, entitled “Wrapped in True,” starring Grammy Award-winning artist Ciara, per a press release.
- The campaign promotes the brand’s seasonal fashions and celebrates multihyphenate women. A 30-second spot features five women who have found success in industries including fashion, business, sports and culture.
- The campaign spans digital, video, streaming audio, out-of-home and experiential activations, including a college campus tour and a drone show during major NCAA college football games. The holiday effort supports True Religion’s growing women’s business and a focus on the intersection of fashion and sports.
Dive Insight:
The holiday season is just around the bend, and True Religion is using the occasion to highlight its women’s business, which has grown by double digits for the last three years, according to CEO Michael Buckley. The brand’s 2024 holiday campaign, which starred rapper Megan Thee Stallion, also included a concerted effort to connect with women shoppers. An intentional holiday strategy is likely to be table stakes this year, with consumers forecast to spend 10% less this season than they did the year prior, according to Deloitte.
At the center of “Wrapped in True” is a partnership with Ciara, an entrepreneur, philanthropist, and singer of hits like “1, 2 Step” and “Like a Boy.” The effort also features five other multihyphenate women, including: Nicole Anderson, a model and real estate agent; Ayan Broomfield, a philanthropist and former professional tennis player; Kash Doll, a rapper, actress and entrepreneur; Mahogany Jones, an entrepreneur; and Alisah Washington, founder of activewear brand Le’Chanel. Together, the partnerships emphasize the brand's focus on the intersection of fashion and sports, two sectors that have continued to grow together via collaborations among leagues, players and brands.
The five women appear in a 30-second spot soundtracked by Kash Doll’s 2019 song “Ice Me Out” that showcases a variety of True Religion’s seasonal pieces, including puffer jackets, denim, velour sets and items embellished with faux firm trim. Another 30-second spot features a voiceover from Ciara, who asserts, “The holidays aren’t just about what’s under the tree, they’re about how you show up” in an effort to promote True Religion’s “Own Your True” ethos.
“Wrapped in True” includes OOH and experiential activations, like a bus tour featuring members of its Team True ambassador program that will visit college campuses nationwide. The brand will also focus on building loyalty with younger shoppers through sports this fall with efforts like a drone show at major NCAA college football games, per release details. True Religion previously linked itself to sports with the launch last year of its Team True platform, which is meant to forge stronger connections with creators from the worlds of sports, film, music and fashion, and for the launch of its “Own Your True” brand platform in February.
True Religion is a privately owned company, with private equity firm Acon Investments buying a controlling stake in the denim brand earlier this year in partnership with SB360 Capital Partnerships. In announcing the brand’s “Own Your True” platform, which included a partnership with Brazilian pop star Anitta, Buckley said that marketing is a key part of its growth strategy.
