Before Project B can launch its globe-spanning men’s and women’s basketball competitions this fall, the league must figure out its jerseys. In a sign of the venture’s lofty ambitions—and its unique business model—the company is designing its uniforms down to the thread.
Fashion executive and newly named chief lifestyle officer William Kim said the company is aiming to create jerseys with natural fibers, such as cotton and wool. It’s also exploring the potential of experimental components like seaweed for some of Project B’s products.
After designing for the circuit’s athletes, Kim and his colleagues intend to publicly sell branded clothing, going beyond on-court threads to produce tunnel looks, training gear and travel-specific outfits.
“Our obsession is the athlete 365, 24/7,” Kim said. “Across all these phases will be both an opportunity for us to address athletes’ needs, but also providing the same products to the fans and our consumers represents the biggest commerce opportunity.”
From the first rumblings of what would become Project B, the company has drawn conjecture (and skepticism), given its founders’ history in technology rather than sports and their consistent promise of championship-level basketball starting with the first event. They have added sports stars Novak Djokovic, Steve Young and Candace Parker to their cap table, along with U.S. investment firms Quiet Capital and Sequence Equity and Europe’s Mangrove Capital Partners. Former college basketball and WNBA star Alana Beard serves as chief basketball officer.
Project B is still on track to launch an international circuit of men’s and women’s tournaments beginning in November, co-founder Grady Burnett said. Multiple other leagues have recently emerged, though none are taking the approach Project B has outlined, aiming to combine elements of Formula 1 and Grand Slam tennis with traditional American team sports.
“Basketball is the foundation of what we’re doing, but the ambition is broader,” Burnett said. “We’re building a unified global platform that connects sport, design, experience, community—and the lifestyle collections that we’ll build are going to be an extension of that vision.”
Sportswear has grown faster than the broader fashion market in recent years, according to a recent McKinsey report, with particularly high growth in the women’s category and in Asia, offering an opening for Project B. The league plans to play three tournaments in Asia, three in Europe and one in the Americas during its first season. In January, it announced Tokyo as one of its host cities.
Beyond merchandise, Kim will oversee Project B’s “brand collaborations and cultural partnerships,” the company said. It will work with some existing companies—Kim can’t design everything from scratch—though the company has committed to maintaining a level of premium quality. Before Project B, Kim held executive roles at fashion brands including AllSaints, Burberry and Gucci. He’ll now try to expand luxury’s footprint in sports.
At launch, the league’s biggest asset will be its players. Athletes are given equity in the league, with announced competitors including Nneka Ogwumike, Sophie Cunningham, Jonquel Jones, Jewell Loyd, Kelsey Mitchell, Kamilla Cardoso and Li Meng.
Project B could be thrust further into the spotlight if the WNBA and its players are unable to agree on a new collective bargaining agreement in the coming months. On Tuesday the league responded to the union’s latest offer, which called for athletes to receive roughly 28% of W revenue over the course of the deal, by describing the proposal as “unrealistic.”
That structure “would cause hundreds of millions of dollars of losses,” the league contended via a spokesperson, who added that—with the season slated to begin May 8—”we still need to complete two drafts and free agency before the start of training camp and are running out of time.”