Marcus SMITH c/o MAKING PICTURES photographed American football player DeVonta Smith for the label VRST. DeVonta Smith is usually dressed from head to toe in VRST when he’s off work – the athleisure fashion brand of Dick’s Sporting Goods, founded in 2021. The brand offers a broad selection of clothing, from T-shirts, button-down shirts, to jackets or even parkas, coats, sweaters, shorts, dress pants and jeans.

How did it happen? After graduating from college, DeVonta Smith was one of the most sought-after receivers in his draft class; only Ja’Marr Chase from LSU and Jaylen Waddle, a former teammate of DeVonta’s from Alabama, were drafted before him. With a Heisman trophy and two national championship wins, DeVonta Smith received dozens of sponsoring offers, of course.

So why VRST ? “How comfortable it was and the material of it. You have these big name companies that come after you, and I had never heard of VRST, but once I tried it on and it was comfortable, I knew it was the one.”...