Image via Complex Original
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You may have heard the news that David Beckham is launching an underwear collection with Swedish retail giant H&M. That got us thinking of some other unexpected clothing and accessory cosigns and startups from established athletes. Sure, some may be more unusual than others, but at least none of these folks have quit their day jobs for these vocations just yet. Check out these 10 Off-The-Wall Athlete Style Cosigns.
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David Beckham to make underwear with H&M
It's no secret that Becks is a man of style and taste, he pretty much wrote the book on metrosexuality and consistently-on-point celeb style. What's surprising is that he's making an underwear collab with H&M. He and Posh are no strangers to baring their unmentionables: they were both featured in an ad campaign for Emporio Armani.
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Sean Avery doles out style advice for Gilt MANual
The New York Rangers left wing takes to being a wingman of a different sort for the online retailer's editorial arm: establishing "Avery's Rules" for looking sharp. He curated three sales consisting of items he would wear, and was the subject of several articles written by the Gilt team. Among his picks were threads by Raf Simons and Shipley and Halmos, so we can't fault the dude on his taste.
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Chuck Norris Action Jeans
Martial artist and actor Chuck Norris made these jeans with the intention that they wouldn't constrict the movement of his trademark high kicks. They're great for launching your enemies into conveniently-placed piles of empty boxes.
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Lebron James for Audemars Piguet
King James recently lent his mug for ad campaigns for the high-end Swiss watch brand. He's also regularly spotted rocking pieces from their Royal Oak Offshore collection, but what's most surprising is that he's working on his own watch for the company. No word yet on features, but we think that after 7 years, it'll leave your body for a dude that already has like five Rolexes on his arm.
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Michael Jordan's long-running Hanes Cosign
His royal Airness has an iconic clothing brand going strong under Nike, so why would he need to endorse plain tees and briefs? Can you imagine if Mars Blackmon was extolling the benefits of tagless white undershirts? Somehow we don't think "it's gotta be the 3-pack" would be as catchy of a slogan.
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Lance Armstrong Starts LIVESTRONG
No hate here. While we think the champion cyclist's foundation is a great cause, it was still surprising that he chose to get his message across via yellow bracelets rather than bike gear. Now those little round tax-deductible donations are so prevalent among the bro set that we would recommend just foregoing the bracelet and donating your cash straight to the foundation.
lodzub
The Road Warriors/Legion of Doom endorse Zubaz
Back in the heyday of professional wrestling, WWF tag-team superstars the Legion of Doom (aka The Road Warriors) consisted of Michael "Hawk" Hegstrand and Joseph "Animal" Laurinaitis. These two face-painted musclemen looked like they had previously served as extras on the set of Mad Max, and you definitely didn't want to run into them in a dark alley. As if they didn't look weird enough, they chose to endorse Zubaz: pants with crazy animal prints that would purportedly stretch and expand with the body during weightlifting.
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Amare Stoudemire designs for Rachel Roy
Among the things you wouldn't believe happened: Amare Stoudemire seated next to Anna Wintour in the front row of a fashion show. The unlikely follower of fashion has been working with designer Rachel Roy on her diffusion line: Rachel Rachel Roy, currently sold at Macy's. Here's the thing: dude is designing womenswear. But hey, you can't fault a guy for wanting to work in an industry where fitting model chicks is just part of the job.
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Shawn White 4 Target
The Flying Tomato's known more for his medals and skill than his sartorial prowess, so when it was announced in Fall 2008 that he would be launching a clothing line with his brother Jesse, people didn't know what to expect. Thankfully, by collaborating with design-minded retail giant Target, whose previous collections with the likes of Keanan Duffty and Converse were pretty decent, the White brothers put out clothes that were accessible and affordable.
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Tom Brady for Ugg Australia
When Bieber-haired star QB Tom Brady announced he would endorse and act as a product consultant to Australian shoe brand Ugg, you could almost hear an "ugh" of a different sort across the globe. But when preview pics of the men's shoes dropped, people were pleasantly surprised to see actual boots rather than the shearling-lined monstrosities we're used to seeing from the company. Jury's still out on whether any dude would own up to wearing "Uggs" though.