Gymshark Handed Creative Control of the Brand to an Influencer

What Happened: Gymshark hired bodybuilding influencer David Laid as Creative Director of Lifting. The DTC fitness retailer says it’s about making sure the company stays connected to its roots: They launched with bodybuilding supplements back in 2012 before expanding into fitness apparel.

“What David doesn’t know about the bodybuilding audience isn’t worth knowing,” chief brand officer Noel Mack was quoted saying in The Drum. “So, who better to be curating the products, curating the imagery and digital experience.”

Why This Hire Works: The profile points out that celebrity creative directors — think Pharrell at Louis Vuitton or Kate Moss at Diet Coke — can sometimes be perceived as a PR stunt. But Laid’s been a part of the athlete community at Gymshark for almost a decade, so he’s well versed in the company’s culture and mission.

Plus, as a bodybuilder, he’s uniquely qualified to give input on the new products they’re developing; to relate to the fellow athletes they’re bringing on as influencers; and to understand the audience that Gymshark’s trying to reach on a really profound level.

And given the outsized impact influencers have had in selling the Gymshark lifestyle on Instagram, TikTok and YouTube — the move makes a lot of sense for a company that’s embraced creators from day one.

Note: By hiring Laid to an in-house role, Gymshark risks staking the reputation of their lifting gear on this one high-profile person. "It creates the possibility for some *serious* downsides if the partnership goes off the rails, much like any big celebrity partnership (Kanye, anyone?)” Sway Group CEO Danielle Wiley told me. 

Still, it’s a bold move. “I love seeing continued creativity in the influencer space,” says Wiley. “There is so much possibility out there and it is only by breaking molds and trying new things that we can continue to move the industry forward.”

And given Laid’s fitness background, the company’s long history with him and their collaborations with influencers in general, it’s probably not a partnership the brand entered into lightly. This is more like a perfect storm of alignment when a brand should hire a celebrity creative director.