1 on 1 with Ali Krieger
By Klarna
Why did you decide to join forces with Klarna, TOGETHXR and Sports Innovation Lab on the Rep Her initiative?
“As a female athlete myself, it’s incredibly important to see efforts like these that highlight and address gender disparities in sports, like the gap in women’s sports merchandise. This initiative is a pivotal step in recognizing the value of women’s sports and ensuring that fans have the merchandise they want. These brands have pushed the status quo in a variety of ways - Klarna when it comes to creating a smart way to shop and pay, TOGETHXR when it comes to putting women’s sports in the forefront, and Sports Innovation Lab when it comes to uncovering new findings and stats within sports. This initiative aligns directly with my personal goal of advocating for gender equality in sports, and working alongside these three companies felt like a great fit for this.”
As a female athlete, how have you noticed the merchandise gap over the course of your career?
“The disparity between men’s and women’s sports generally has been very apparent to me over the course of my career. You’ve seen examples like the USWNT fighting for equal pay and the NCAA women’s basketball players fighting for equal facilities, but we haven’t talked much about merchandise availability for fans yet. Throughout my career, I’ve noticed there’s been a lack of availability for merchandise repping my teams, and it’s been hard for my friends and family to go out and buy my jersey or the jerseys of my fellow teammates. This is a real problem and an important conversation to have, and I’m thrilled to join forces with Klarna on this.”
How do you think this partnership will impact the availability of women’s sports merchandise? How do you see this initiative influencing other brands?
“I really hope this has a huge influence on other brands and retailers and that they see the potential waiting for them in the women’s sports merchandise market. What we’re hoping to do with Rep Her is spread awareness of the accessibility gap and ultimately provide more styles and options to fans. I do believe through this initiative and the overall increased interest in women’s sports, we will begin to narrow this gap.” How do you think fans can support this collaboration? “Of course fans can support this collaboration by purchasing the collection items and continuing to buy merchandise for themselves, family, and friends to rep their fandom even outside of games! But also, fans can simply continue to support women’s sports like they have been by watching, attending games, and just generally talking about the sports and athletes that they love. I think that’s what makes the biggest difference right now – keep talking about it and the rest will follow.”
What does this initiative mean to you?
“It means a lot to see brands like Klarna, TOGETHXR and Sports Innovation Lab jumping in to not only identify this issue, but also make steps towards narrowing the gap. This is something we’ve been noticing as female athletes for years, but having the data to finally back it up feels very meaningful and I hope will be the proof point needed to bring more retailers into the fold.” It’s been an amazing year for female athletes across the board. What’s been your favorite moment to witness? “I mean, it’s been really incredible. We have players in the forefront now like Angel Reese, Caitlin Clark, Simone Biles, Sophia Smith, Mallory Swanson and so many more that are making waves and aren’t afraid to be outspoken about the disparities they notice in their sport and call on people to make the necessary changes”
What’s your favorite piece of sports merchandise to wear?
“I love a classic jersey or t-shirt that I can pair with jeans and an oversized jacket or blazer if I need an extra layer. Ever since I’ve been on the sidelines for this past season, I love being able to dress up my fandom with cute layers and accessories. I’m so excited to see the t-shirt designs Mellany and Sophia put together for this collection.”
