Jim Speltz, president of Ross-Simons, the five-store jewelry retail chain based in Warwick, R.I., says he knew Olympian Jessie Diggins was a personality he wanted to work with after watching her dramatic finish in the women’s team sprint cross-country skiing event at this year’s Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea.
“The energy of that moment was just so great,” says Speltz. “And seeing her radiant smile with that gold medal—we just knew we had to approach her.”
The company did just that. And last week Ross-Simons announced that Diggins (who, with teammate Kikkan Randall, was the first U.S. Olympian to medal in that event) will function as an ambassador for the retail brand.
The partnership has three components: On social media, both Diggins and Ross-Simons will advocate for each another through cross-promotional posts (see below). Diggins will also grace the cover of the retailer’s holiday catalog and will be “playing role in the flagship holiday book,” says Speltz. And finally, the skier will collaborate with Ross-Simons on a small collection inspired by her style (Speltz shares that pieces will be “very classic in look”). The collection will drop in the 4th quarter of 2018.
Image via: @jessiediggins
Spelt adds that Diggins’ relatable style was another draw for the brand. The fresh-faced skier “isn’t some big glam persona,” he notes, “but anything and everything she wears, she wears well. We’re excited to get her ethos into our pieces…. She uses the word sparkle to define her life, which is obviously a resonating term for us in the jewelry business. But she also stands for women’s empowerment and accomplishment, and we’re really excited to bring that to the fore in this campaign.”
Diggins announced the partnership on her Instagram feed last month, writing in a sponsored post, “Excited to share that I’m partnering with @rosssimons jewelry…so I can be sparkly both on and off the race course!”
Top: Olympic skier Jessie Diggins (image: @jessiediggins)
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