Add Golden Goose to the brands tapping athletes to fuel their image.
The luxury footwear firm has named a trifecta of global brand ambassadors recruited from tennis, padel and skateboarding, FN has learned.
Furthering its connection with the latter discipline, the brand has appointed the U.S.-born Keegan Palmer to the role. After moving to Gold Coast, Australia, at age 14 he won the Bondi Bowl-A-Rama competition in Sydney, becoming the youngest athlete to win in the pro division of the event. He secured Australia the first Olympic gold medal in the sport at the 2020 Tokyo Games.
“Partnering with a brand that has such a tight relationship with skate means a lot to me. I’m so excited about collaborating with Golden Goose; we’ve already done some amazing things together, and I look forward to more soon,” said Palmer.
He joins fellow skateboarders Rune Glifberg and Olympic bronze medalist and leader of the U.S. National Team Cory Juneau in the role. Golden Goose first unveiled its link with the sport in 2021, supplying Juneau with one-of-a kind sneakers created for his participation in the Tokyo Games and welcomed Glifberg to the friends of the house family last year.
Signaling how tenniscore is having its own moment in fashion, perhaps more so than other sports, Italian tennis ace-in-the-making Matteo Arnaldi joins the luxury label’s ambassadors.
Among the 40 top global players, according to his ATP ranking, in 2023 Arnaldi reached the fourth round of the U.S. Open and alongside Gucci ambassador and Italian tennis champ Jannik Sinner led Italy to its first Davis Cup title in 47 tears.
“I’m grateful for every moment of this journey and where it’s taking me. I look forward to dreaming bigger with Golden Goose,” Arnaldi said of his appointment.
After teasing its ambitions in the once-niche-now-mainstream sport of padel by unveiling the opening of a Golden Goose-branded padel center in Milan, the shoemaker has tapped Spanish-born Arturo Coello to the ambassadorship role. The padel player has amassed 11 wins in the World Padel Tour, or WPT, Tournament between 2002 and 2023 and currently ranks first in the FIP ranking of the International Padel Federation.
“It’s key to know what moves and drives us every day. For me, it’s about determination, passion, and family. I’m glad to live this together with the Golden family as we share the same values and vision,” the padel ace said.
The three global ambassadors are expected to represent Golden Goose on several occasions throughout the year.
“Keegan Palmer, Arturo Coello, and Matteo Arnaldi perfectly embody and celebrate our core values of family, passion, authenticity, positivity, and success. These values are crucial both on and off the court, in the workplace, and in everyday life. We are thrilled to welcome them to the Golden Family,” said Golden Goose chief executive officer Silvio Campara.
Golden Goose was established in 2000 and is best known for its successful Superstar sneakers and intentionally distressed styles. In 2020, the company was acquired by the private equity fund Permira from the Carlyle Europe Buyout fund.
The luxury firm has championed a community-driven approach, for example hosting Haus of Dreamers all-encompassing cultural events in Paris, Los Angeles and most recently in Marghera, Italy, where the company is based.
