"Athletes and sportswear are gaining publicity in fashion; I feel like it's a great opportunity to merge the industries together." Emma Roch, women's lacrosse senior says. Her Fashion Marketing and Management senior capstone Coach'ed brings Coach, the luxury fashion brand, and the National Football League together in a proposed marketing campaign. Emma knew she wanted to involve athletics in her capstone project. "I've had a running list of capstone ideas since freshman year," she says. "This was the most consistent." 
 

Coach'ed Pitch Deck Header designed by Emma Roch

As a senior Fashion Marketing and Management major, Emma was tasked with drafting a campaign for a fashion company. For her capstone assignment she created a pitch deck, mock-up products, and did market research to project the success of her campaign. She chose Coach for her experience with the brand as a retail employee. "I got insight of the company. I had this knowledge of them and was able to add it to this capstone," she says. 

The National Football League was tied into the project as a personal interest of Emma's, as well as a marketing play. The NFL's current branding is consistent in the themes Coach uses in their marketing, and their market is saturated with fans from all walks of life. Football also has year-round impact with fans following in-season, postseason, and offseason training. "It shows the versatility, being year-round," Emma says. That's what Coach's products are as well, functional, and timeless." 

Emma's proposed line consists of travel wear designed for athletes on the road for competition. "The premise is the functionality," she says. "There are little aspects athletes think about that brands don't carry." These aspects range from equipment needs to personal preferences of athletes. All products have sleek, professional design. "Making a product that's functional and classy is important to me. I want something that people can use throughout the year and confidently sport daily," she says.  

To present her campaign she created a pitch deck or slideshow containing market research, mock-up products, and examples of visual branding. The mock-up designs featured in her pitch deck include small and large duffle bags, a 'wives and girlfriends' handbag, a sling bag, and team keychains combining the Coach and NFL team logos.  To create the mock-up designs Emma used generative AI. "It's becoming a useful technology and a big part of the industry right now," she says.
 

Coach'ed collection designed and generated by Emma Roch

Market research was a big player in Emma's pitch deck, designed to persuade industry officials to see the potential of her campaign. "We use the SCAD Libraries for a lot of our research, as well as collecting our own data through surveys and interviews," Emma says. Through her research she was able to build confidence in the success of her concept. "Both of these industries have a consistent growth rate and won't be going away anytime soon."  

To launch the campaign and promote the products, Emma selected three NFL players to collaborate with Coach. Her choices: DK Metcalf, Joe Burrow, and Braxton Berrios. She was drawn to them as current players making waves both on the field and in the fashion world. "All three of them are very strong presences. They're also in different regions of the NFL, they can fit everywhere," she says. 

 

Coach'ed Keychains designed by Emma Roch printed by Javin Shackelford

Emma noticed a similar pattern on the women's lacrosse team at SCAD. Being on a team with fellow students of the fashion department gave her a new perspective on how athletes express their personal style.  "We joke that we're like Hannah Montana," she says. "We go from practice and show up to fashion classes dressed up. It's the best of both worlds." Her teammates on the women's lacrosse team have also helped her develop her art across departments. "I've got those people I can go to once I have an idea, bouncing stuff off of them makes the idea better."  

Working with a fellow SCAD Athlete, Javin Shackelford of men's lacrosse, Emma was able to create 3D models of her keychain designs. "I'm excited to see it printed out and be able to wear it for my presentation," Emma says. She will present Coach'ed at the end of fall quarter in Savannah.