Between Tuesday’s blockbuster reveal of his engagement to Taylor Swift, his popular podcast with his brother, and his storied NFL career with the Kansas City Chiefs, Travis Kelce has become a household name. Now the athlete and entrepreneur can add creative director to his résumé.

Kelce revealed Wednesday that he is partnering with American Eagle Outfitters on a special limited-edition collaboration between the retailer and the athlete’s Tru Kolors sports and lifestyle brand. Called AE x Tru Kolors by Travis Kelce, the collection blends fashion, sports and culture.

“I’ve had to keep my excitement about this collab under wraps for nearly a year,” Kelce said. “It was an awesome opportunity to team up with an established brand where both sides were excited to truly collaborate on every decision in the design and creative process that brought the ‘AE x TK’ collection to life. I started Tru Kolors in 2019 on the foundation of showing up authentically and having fun with style, and we wanted this collab to reflect that same energy. I want everyone to feel like there is something for them in the collection, something they can feel good in and make their own. I’m excited for it to finally be out in the world.”

Kelce was intimately involved in the creation of the collection to ensure it lived up to his philosophy of “live to play.” He worked on not only the designs, but the color palette, silhouettes and graphics.

The timing of the AE x Tru Kolors announcement was opportune for the retailer, coming one day after Kelce revealed his engagement to Swift. As widely reported, the couple revealed the news in joint Instagram posts Tuesday that after two years of dating, the athlete had officially popped the question.

The photos showed Kelce on bended knee under a vine arch with white, pink and red flowers in a garden proposing to Swift, who wore a Polo Ralph Lauren striped dress with a ruched bodice, paired with strappy brown block heels by Louis Vuitton and a diamond Cartier watch. He wore a tight black V-neck T-shirt and white shorts. The 8-carat, vintage-inspired ring was estimated to be worth more than $500,000.

“American Eagle and Travis Kelce were destined to collaborate,” said Jennifer Foyle, president and executive creative director of American Eagle. “An iconic brand teaming up with one of the greatest athletes of our generation — that’s what I call a win. AE and Tru Kolors are rooted in optimism, self-expression and confidence — and we share a passion for empowering everyone to feel like their true self when wearing our products. Travis’ infectious energy and dedication to every aspect of the collaboration brought a refreshing spirit to the team, inspiring us to explore bespoke fabrics and fits to showcase this collection through his distinct style and perspective.”

The collection will have two drops: Wednesday and Sept. 24, and will feature more than 90 pieces including heavyweight, vintage-inspired Ts; reimagined varsity jackets; cricket sweaters; rugby polos; utility cargos; cashmere sets, and soft chenille pieces. AE x Tru Kolors will retail for between $14.95 and $179.99 and offer “an elevated take on everyday essentials,” according to the companies.

To promote the collection, Kelce tapped friends and fellow athletes to be featured in the campaign including rising tennis star Anna Frey; basketball guard Azzi Fudd; quarterback Drew Allar; top basketball prospect Kiyan Anthony; the country’s top-ranked wide receiver recruit Jeremiah Smith, and gold medal gymnast Suni Lee.

Lee said, “I was honored by the opportunity to be a part of this collection launch with Travis Kelce and American Eagle. Confidence and comfort are huge for me, and this line and every item from the T-shirts to the sweaters really delivers on both. Working on the campaign alongside Travis and this incredible group of other athletes was inspiring and gave me the chance to step into something completely different from what I usually do. I’m really proud of what we created together and so excited for everyone to style it in their own ways.”

The campaign will be featured across all social platforms as well as in out-of-home locations in Kansas City and will also be on The Ringer, an NFL news podcast, as well as in television ads.

Craig Brommers, chief marketing officer at American Eagle, said the company first connected with Kelce in June 2024 and “there was an instant synergy between our brands. Tru Kolors is designed to reflect his curated and independent-minded fashion sense. Our first meeting came on the heels of AE’s campaign, Live Your Life, and while prepping for the meeting we noticed Travis had previously posted a caption on his Instagram that had the copy ‘live your life’ — and we knew it was meant to be.”

Brommers said Kelce has “this infectious energy where he truly lives his life to the fullest. He says his ‘cup is always overflowing,’ and he lives to play, all traits that embody the optimism of our AE customer. From the start, it was clear we shared a passion for style — and more importantly, a belief in the power of fashion to connect with people.”

Brommers said that at American Eagle, “we know sports is a passion that has universal appeal — from Gen Z to Millennials and beyond. Travis Kelce himself shares this universal appeal. Our previous partnerships — from Coco Gauff to Trevor Lawrence, along with our early embrace of NIL talent like Jared McCain and Livvy Dunne — help us to authentically show up in sports where we know our customer is spending their time.

“Beyond being an incredible athlete,” Brommers continued, “Travis is truly a generational talent whose confidence, optimism and authentic bond with his community set him apart. He embodies the values of self-expression and positivity that are at the heart of AE, and are fundamental to his brand Tru Kolors.”

Brommers said Kelce embraced his role of creative director of the collection and “guided the entire process,” providing input on everything from fabric and color to silhouette. “He attended design meetings in person at our New York design office and gave feedback on fits: personally trying on every single piece in the collection. Travis also brought insights from his own brand, Tru Kolors, which pushed us to think in new ways, and it was that level of collaboration that elevated the entire project.”

Brommers also said that the hand-selected athletes who will appear in the campaign “feels fresh, authentic and distinct to their own personal style.”

By partnering with Kelce, Brommers expects to bring a new customer into the American Eagle fold. “We know that Travis and his brand Tru Kolors have a massive audience. Of course, he’s known first and foremost for his talent on the field, but his influence is universal. By including additional NIL athletes, we also have the opportunity to connect with fans of other sports who may have an even larger proportion of Gen Z fans.”

Brommers said American Eagle is planning a “substantial media campaign reflective of where our customers spend their time.  With the addition of highly relevant sports content featuring a group of amazing athletes we are also showing up in new ad placements, such as the Ringer Podcast Network. Testing and leaning into new platforms allows us to discover new customers and ways to engage with our audience.”

This is the second high-profile celebrity campaign American Eagle has launched this summer. At the end of July, the company tapped actress Sydney Sweeney to be the face of its fall denim campaign but the ads led to a backlash on social media over the catchphrase of the ads, “Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans.”

However, that didn’t dissuade American Eagle from embracing this new celebrity partnership.

“We all know the power of celebrity and influencers and that our customers look to them for style advice and how they integrate AE into their everyday wardrobe,” Brommers said. “Leveraging celebrity partnerships that align with our customers’ passion points, style, music, gaming, pop culture and sports is not a new strategy for American Eagle.”

Past examples include Jenna Ortega, Role Model, Katseye, MXTOON, Addison Rae, Michael Evans Behling and the casts of “The Summer I Turned Pretty” and “Outer Banks,” as well as Sweeney.

“We recognize talent early and bring in true fans of our brand to ensure our collaborations are authentic,” he said. “We partner with people who share our values and are the right mix of aspirational and inspirational.”

Going forward, Brommers didn’t say whether the relationship with Kelce will continue, opting instead to focus on Wednesday’s launch. “We are hyper-focused on this collection and the two drops we’ve created together,” he said. “The tagline for the campaign is ‘Live to Play’ and that really is what we did throughout this entire process. We are excited to celebrate what we’ve designed together and share this year-in-the-making collaboration with our customers.”

Kelce is no stranger to endorsements. In addition to this collaboration, he’s worked with a wide range of companies including Nike, Bud Light, Pfizer, State Farm, Campbell Soup, Experian, General Mills, Subway, Pepsi and Lowe’s.