It’s springtime in New York City, and a crew of about a dozen is gathered on a high terrace at The Plaza Hotel. Their focus is principally Travis Kelce, who is reclined on an outdoor sofa, posing for a Tommy Hilfiger campaign. (Its other major names include Gigi Hadid, Jisoo, Peggy Gou, Frances Tiafoe, and Carmelo Anthony.) But attention is split: while the photographer and lighting techs work on the 36-year-old football megastar, a gaggle of assistants, agents, and extra hands are all cooing over a perfectly fluffy white Samoyed.
Later, during a short car ride from The Plaza to Central Park—where more photos will be taken after an outfit change—Kelce and I are chatting about the photo shoot. I tell him that his dog is beautiful. “Are you kidding me?” he beams. “She lights up my day.”
The Hilfiger creative team had been talking about casting a canine for the campaign when Kelce volunteered the one that he shares with Taylor Swift. “We figured, why not her? She crushed it, and actually really fit into that Tommy aesthetic, too,” he reports, proudly. “Those are some of my favorite shots.” (As of now, the couple is keeping their dog’s name private.)
Kelce’s collaboration with Tommy Hilfiger arrives just as the NFL season is about to kick off. A tight end for the Kansas City Chiefs, Kelce has had a starry arc with the formidable franchise, helping the team secure Super Bowl wins in 2020, 2023, and 2024. “Year 14, baby, I’m fired up,” he says. “Every year there’s a chance to do something special—but especially coming into this year, getting Pat [Mahomes] back and wiping the slate clean. I love coming to the building every day. I know how special this team is, so I’m excited to get this thing rolling and for the chance to give the fans what they deserve.” (Mahomes, another of the Chiefs’ top players, missed a chunk of last season due to a torn ACL.)
As Kelce’s sporting career has advanced, so too has his position in popular culture. His extremely popular podcast New Heights, which he hosts with his brother Jason—himself a retired pro football player—launched in the fall of 2022. In March 2023, Kelce hosted Saturday Night Live. And in late 2023, he and Swift made their relationship public before marrying this past July.
Photo: Lachlan Bailey, Courtesy of Tommy Hilfiger
