Sports image guide

This guide outlines the mandatory image requirements, styling tips and best practices for onboarding your sports articles. Following these guidelines ensures a successful submission, maintains quality and provides customers with the authentic, dynamic visuals they need to make a purchase.

To ensure a great customer experience, we highly recommend showcasing your sportswear in dynamic, authentic environments. Photographing garments, shoes and equipment in action helps customers connect with the sport and better understand the article's functionality.

• Preparation and presentation: Prepare the articles by steaming or ironing to ensure an optimal fit and remove wrinkles or dust. Ensure sports bags and backpacks are clean and filled so they do not look flat.

• Holistic sportive styling: Ensure the entire outfit matches the specific sport or activity. Pair secondary items, footwear and base layers with the primary activity (e.g. matching football jerseys with football socks, or styling sports bras with appropriate activewear bottoms like leggings). For a lifestyle crossover look, you can also combine sports tops and outdoor wear with jeans.

• Proportions and sleeves: Combine loose and fitted clothing to create balanced silhouettes (e.g. combine wide-cut tops with slim trousers). For tops, show sleeves in full length. Do not bend, fold, roll up or prop them up.

• Details and fastenings: Adjust drawstrings to the same length and tie ribbons or loops neatly.

• Highlighting performance features: Clearly demonstrate functional details. If an article features an extended back for cycling or running, ensure this is clearly visible. Use your model and additional images to highlight sports-specific technology, removable hoods, inner pockets or reflective elements.

• Sports shoes: Always include a detailed shot of the sole, as the tread is a crucial functional feature for sports footwear. We highly recommend showing the shoe in action during a sports activity.

In sportswear photography, selecting models that authentically represent the activity enhances the credibility of your brand.

• Athletic casting and diversity: Cast models with athletic figures that reflect your size range. They should authentically represent the activity. Ensure you use representative models for your articles (e.g. you must show a plus-size article on a plus-size model).

• Clean details and active styling: Maintain clean hands and nails so these details do not distract from the performance gear. Keep hair and overall styling natural, dynamic and suited to the active environment.

• Dynamic poses: Encourage natural, dynamic posing that actively reflects the specific sport or activity. Seated positions are fully permitted.

• Womenswear: Use discreet makeup with muted lip colours or lipgloss.

• Menswear: Natural body and facial hair are permitted.

The following examples showcase recommended styles, dynamic poses and active backgrounds. Use these as inspiration for your own visual storytelling.

Our AI-powered Partner Assistant is here for you 24/7 to provide instant answers. Simply click the chatbot icon in the header to start a conversation. If you need further support, you can submit a request to Partner Care about this via the support form using the topic:  Article Onboarding and request type: General Article onboarding questions.