Marcus Allen is Finding Freedom After Football

November 10, 2025

When Marcus Allen’s football career came to an end, it wasn’t part of the plan. A torn bicep during his final season with the Pittsburgh Steelers put him on the sidelines, and what followed was a kind of stillness he hadn’t known before. The structure of training and competition was gone, replaced by dark days spent trying to make sense of what came next. In that space, Allen found something new, something that had always been there in the background; fashion.

It started at TONS, a boutique in Pittsburgh where he’d stop in after practice, connecting with the team there and finding community outside the game. When football fell away, they encouraged him to lean into that world. Soon he was modeling for the store, then traveling to Paris as a representative, where he met Guram Gvasalia at Vetements and began building a network in fashion.

What began as a new pursuit has grown into a space where the discipline and focus that took him so far in football continues to shape him. Having walked for Vetements, KidSuper, and Nahmias, Marcus brings the same focus he had on the field to the runway, but with a new sense of freedom.

Photography by Mia Teresa
Styling and Interview by Dylan Andrews
Grooming by Clarissa De Jesus
Photography Assistant: Alex Aronson
Styling Assistant: Daviel Castañeda
Shoot at 100 Sutton Studios

MARCUS wears JACKET by HERMÈS.

I want to start with your transition from football to modeling and why it happened when it did.

I was in my last year in the NFL, and I got hurt. I tore my bicep. I was promised to go back to the Pittsburgh Steelers. So when that didn't happen, now I'm in free agency, and I'm dealing with just being in the crib by myself and everything like that. I really went into a dark mental space, bro. I’d never been in a position where shit ain't going my way, as far as being on the team. So, I always had a connection within this boutique store called TONS in Pittsburgh, after practice I would always go there.

Oh yeah, I went to Pittsburgh for the opening of TONS and met the team there.

Oh, so you know all of them? So, I built a relationship with the owner, Lisa, and we actually just started really clicking. So that's while I was playing with Pittsburgh. And while I was building this reputation of an athlete that's interested in fashion, they took me in and kind of made me their brand ambassador for the store. I ended up telling my agent I don't want to do any more workouts, I don't want to go to no teams and try to work out for any teams, because I'm just mentally not in it. I actually had to go through some therapy for like five months to get my mind right for real because I was just mentally out of it. I couldn't play no more, bro. That shit was just anxiety and I was overly depressed. Yeah, so I had to get that shit together. And while I was doing that, Lisa gave me my first QR codes to go to Paris as a representative of TONS boutique store. So I'm out there in Paris and I ended up having a good amount of scheduling to go to all these shows.

Left: MARCUS wears JACKET and PANTS by MARINE SERRE, COAT by PDF CHANNEL, SHOES by CHRISTIAN LOUBOUTIN. Right: MARCUS wears COAT, PANTS and SHOES by PDF CHANNEL, RINGS by VEERT.

So were you modeling for TONS, or were you just a brand ambassador at the time?

I was modeling for them. I was doing little shoots here and there after practice. Like that was my little hobby to do. That's what kind of got me into the high fashion side of things, but I always wanted to do runway because of my sister doing catwalks in high school, and I was in middle school seeing her do that. So it was something that was always in the back of my mind. I was always saying I wanted to model after football, but I just didn't know when.

So it wasn’t looking promising to go back to the team that I love. And me personally, bro, I'm a person that, like, your word is everything, loyalty is everything. But I can't be like that within business, because, you know, business is business. I grew up a Steelers fan. I always wanted to play for the Steelers. I got drafted by the Steelers, and I was gonna die on my shield with the Steelers, yeah. So I ended up saying, fuck it.

I went to Paris, had the connections with TONS, and ended up meeting Guram at the Vetements showroom. And Guram, he fell in love with how tall I was and all that stuff. And I met Alton Mason at that same showroom. So I'm building my own network within the opportunity that TONS gave me to go to these different shows. So that's kind of like how it all sparked off with me meeting Vetements and stuff.

Left: MARCUS wears COAT, VEST, and PANTS by KENZO, NECKLACE and RINGS by VEERT. Right: MARCUS wears COAT, TOP and PANTS by HERMÈS, SHOES by MANOLO BLAHNIK.

Was fashion something you always cared about? Was it always a backup plan, or was it something you got into later on?

I would say I always was into fashion, even when I was playing football, even when I was in high school, growing up. Where I'm from, PG County, Maryland, they'll joan on you if you was looking crazy in school. We had uniforms so it was all about the shoes. Like I’d say my fashion sense came from my friend group, you know. All my friends I grew up with, we kind of educated each other on, like, what's fly and what’s champ. ‘Champ’ is like what’s lame, you know what I mean?

What were you guys wearing?

Man, we was wearing Foamposites. We was wearing all the Jordans. Eleven’s was one of my favorites; Space Jams, Cool Greys. New Balances; 993s, 992s. We was all into shoes, you know what I mean. So that was how it was in high school. But as I got older, I mean, I dibbled and dabbled in different designers.

MARCUS wears JACKET, PANTS, SHIRT and TIE by VOWELS, COAT by LOUIS VUITTON, SHOES by MANOLO BLAHNIK, RINGS by VEERT.

Did your sense of identity change after retiring from the NFL? I imagine it was such a big part of your life.

I would say it didn't change. It kind of magnified who I really am, you know what I'm saying? Like people outside looking in was seeing me as just a football player, or that I had an interest in fashion, but not the level that I really wanted to do it. I always was telling my agent, I want to do real shit outside of football. I was like doing photo shoots and this and that but I never had somebody to be like, “Do it.” They only want to see you worry about football; “Handle everything in football, and then you could do it.” I wasn't a first rounder, you know what I mean? I wasn't a superstar safety in the league to where you can have that amount of space where like football is locked and I could do this other shit. So with me, it was kind of like, just lock in with football. But I still managed to have my own little clothing brand on the side and shit like that. But I would say it was kind of hard to manage fashion and football at the same time. So that's why I had to leave football to put 100% focus on this shit.

Yeah, the freedom now must be nice. I'm curious, what's your day to day like? Do you ever get bored now? I can imagine the training regime must have been crazy. Do you ever be sitting at home like, Damn, I miss it?

I don't ever feel like I miss football, but the only thing I do miss is just the camaraderie that we had with each other in the locker room and shit like that. But a lot of my old teammates are starting to retire so the real world is starting to be like a locker room again. A lot of my friends live out here in Houston that don't play football no more, and we stick together. So that's pretty nice.

Left: MARCUS wears COAT, SHIRT, CARDIGAN, PANTS, SHOES, BELT AND GLASSES by DOLCE & GABBANA, RINGS by VEERT.

Right: MARCUS wears JACKET, PANTS, and SHOES by LOUIS VUITTON, SHIRT by AMI PARIS, RINGS by VEERT, TIE is STYLIST'S OWN.

What surprised you most about the modeling industry? What was the biggest thing to adjust to?

Just the amount of models. Like the amount of models that are all casting and are all in the hopes of being able to walk for this show and to get denied. You know what I mean, just because you may be a little bit bigger, or you may be way too small. I mean, it's all about what that casting director wants, or the brand or the creative director wants. So just being denied by your looks, I had to get over that hump.

How you look, how you walk, how you carry yourself.

Yeah, all that. But it kind of is comparable to football so it made me ready for it.

I was gonna ask, are there attributes and qualities you got from football that you feel have carried over and helped with the modelling?

So, I'll give you an example. Before a game, there's inactives and actives. So I was about to play in one of my first football games my rookie year, and I was on the active list. But they have 20 minutes before the game or something like that to put you on the inactive list if they wanted to put somebody else active. So I go out on warm ups, I come back in and you only know if you’re playing if your helmet is in the locker room. My helmet, my shoulder pads, everything was gone, so I was on the inactive list. That crushed me. I was crying. I had told my family to watch the game. I had told my friends from back home to watch the game. I mean that shit, it humbles you, bro, and then it really makes you feel like, damn, am I worth it? Like, I'm at my dream that I wanted to be at, since a kid always wanted to go to NFL, but am I really living the dream? You know, that's where you start questioning yourself. So to compare it to modeling, I got confirmed to walk in a show before, went to the call time and when I got there, about to get my makeup done and hair done and all that, they say, “I'm sorry, we gave your look up to somebody else.”

You were already in makeup?

They were about to. But honestly, it didn't crush me, like how I did in that field. Because now it's like I'm so used to this shit. Let me call my Uber and go away. I’m gone. I’m going to a nice hotel, bro, I aint tripping.

Left: MARCUS wears COAT, PANTS and SHOES by PDF CHANNEL. Right: MARCUS wears JACKET, PANTS, COAT and TOP by OFFICINE GÉNÉRALE, SHOES by MANOLO BLAHNIK, GLASSES by GENTLE MONSTER.

Who have you walked for now? PDF, KidSuper, is there some I’m missing? Vetements.

Yeah, KidSuper, PDF, Vetements, and I've done something for Gabriel Salcedo. I walked for Nahmias in LA, yeah.

How would you say the thrill of walking a Fashion Week show compares to walking onto the field for an NFL game?

Man, honestly, I love that shit. I love it. I love that shit so much more due to the fact that these are brands that I grew up on, that I love, you know what I'm saying? Like, Vetements, man, I was rocking Vetements in the league. So me walking in it makes it 10 times better, bro, because it's like all eyes on you. The photo that comes out is your look. I mean, your look is going to be remembered forever, if you have a special look, if you kill it. And then it's like the memory of the show. Every show has its own meaning, so it's like a Super Bowl Championship every single time. Like the KidSuper show with the snow coming down, I would never forget it. And I was begging, I was praying, to walk in the show before, when it was the puppets in it. That shit was hard, and I was there watching it. So to walk in that shit, it feels so good, bro.

And Colm’s shows are always such a spectacle in terms of the actual show and the theater of it. It's like, unmatched.

Bro I was getting chills when I was at the puppet one, and Alton, opening it up, doing the theatrical dancing. That shit was crazy, bro. It really gave me chills. So to be able to accomplish that outside of football and get denied, and not feeling no way, and going back to the casting, and then to get confirmed to walk, that was like, one of my favorite moments, I aint gonna lie.

Every show has its own meaning, so it's like a Super Bowl Championship every single time.

MARCUS wears JACKET, SHIRT and PANTS by ALEXANDER WANG, SHOES by CHRISTIAN LOUBOUTIN, GLASSES by GENTLE MONSTER.

I've heard some people say they black out when they walk. Did that happen to you at all? Like they almost don't remember it happening.

I don't black out. It's more like tunnel vision. I block out the noise and shit. And I'm overly just locked in on my walk and I know my look gonna kill it. I don't know, I just definitely block out all the noise and it's on some tunnel vision stuff.

Is there someone in the creative world you’re dying to work with?

Honestly, I want to work with Balenciaga. Balenciaga, Rick Owens, Hermès, Thom Browne. These are designers I adore, you know what I mean? And to be able to just walk in shows like that, I feel like would solidify me as, like, one of them ones for sure.

Fashion

PUMA x Ahluwalia

Ahluwalia is all about ethos. From sustainability to social responsibility, you’ve built a brand really grounded in its moral identity. How has this evolved over time?

Through my experience before I started my brand, reading about the state of the world, traveling, and seeing all these different experiences, I started to realize quite early on that if we're going to make clothes and create things, there are just better ways to do it. And so from the beginning, I've just tried to do things that are better for people on the planet, and create less waste, and make decisions through different parts of the process. It's not just about fabric and sourcing, but it's about who we work with and how we work with them, representation, and inclusion. [We do this] across the industry, in all different areas, with every business decision. For a lot of our set designs, we rent things rather than build things. If we've ever built things, we've then repurposed them. It’s about making decisions that keep people and the planet in mind.

This collection is described as a “love letter to African football culture.” What would the first sentence of that letter be?

I think I would say: “Africa is multifaceted.”

Africa is 54 countries, 56 if you count two that the UN doesn't, and it's a vibrant, vast, beautiful continent. I think that in so many different areas, Africa is not put on the pedestal that it deserves to be put on. With my work in general, this collection, and all my collections, I always want to grow my knowledge about the places that I'm from and the countries around where I'm from. It's vibrant. It's powerful. There's an abundance of joy, skill, and talent that I think that the world should pay more attention to.

The PUMA T7 tracksuit from 1979 has been worn by everyone from Pelé, Brazilian football legend, to Madonna, international popstar. It's one of those silhouettes that carries so much cultural memory. When you go into an archive like PUMA’s, how do you decide what should be reinterpreted versus left untouched?

There are parameters to these types of projects. If it was possible, I would love to have gone a lot wider, and pulled more pieces, because the archive was just honestly a treasure trove. I think it was one of my favorite experiences across my time of working with PUMA. I think it's been two years now I've been working with them, and that was definitely one of my favorite experiences. I think that the reason that I wanted to do a T7 is that it's so recognizable. And being able to work into an iconic tracksuit like that, an iconic shape that does have so much cultural capital and heritage is an opportunity. We’ll recognize that shape as a PUMA shape, but they'll recognize the fabrication as something that maybe feels a bit more Ahluwalia than the PUMA main line. So it’s an honor to be able to work into those heritage pieces.

Green appears on the flags of African nations more than any other color. What role did the color green play in this collection?

For me, the beginning of the design process was quite rooted in West Africa, particularly Nigeria. But I'm also Indian. Green is also on the Indian flag. So I kind of knew straight away I wanted green to be in it, just to represent really. Also, because I was researching different elements and looking at fans from different countries, green was so prevalent. But also, green, red, black, yellow, are quite Pan-African colors. And so I knew that I wanted to work with those colors quite a lot. And I thought, I'm really happy with the trainer. We have two colorways, and I knew I wanted one of them to be green. And I thought, people who are from the global south will feel the colors in it, everyone's gonna love the colors! People can wear it no matter where they're from, but I do feel like there is a shared understanding of that color scheme, and it was kind of an homage to that. It works as a detail, but yeah, it was definitely a key.

I’m really intrigued by the fact that the jacquard in this collection is meant to mimic the look of a stadium filled with cheering fans. How did you approach the process of translating an experience so kinetic and loud into a static textile?

The fabric has been woven into that pattern [rather than] printed with ink. It’s a slightly different texture, and it has depth to it, right? The surface is not entirely flat. Basically, what we did was, we took photos of fans in the stands of different games at different scales, and then sort of pixelated them and made them three color. We played with the scales of them and made a kind of tapestry. And then we turned it into the shades of red and black. When you look at the fabric, because it's a Jacquard and not print, it's got this almost static. The sound was static. You can kind of see that. And that's how we sort of translated it. I wanted it to be a fabric that's beautiful to wear. It definitely feels like there's movement within it, because the different knitted stitches are so small and varied in color that it feels like when you look at the fabric, it moves.

What kickstarted your love for fashion, and what keeps you there?

I've always loved fashion since I was really young. My mom was always very into what she wore and was always really well dressed. And I always found that I loved trying on her clothes, and I loved going with her shopping and things like that. I liked watching her get ready to go out. She always wore three red lipsticks every day. She doesn't wear that anymore, but she used to wear red lips every day and have a big blowout. And I found that quite exciting. And I used to live above my granddad's news agent, and he would order me whatever magazines I ever asked for. So he would order me all the fashion magazines. And then on the weekends I'd get to read them. He’d order me i-D and Vogue and Dazed and all these different magazines. And I was, I've always been quite a bookworm. I read them from quite a young age. So I think I was just instantly attracted to that when I was thinking of picking up magazines within the stores. Both of those things really kick-started it. I kind of always knew this was what I wanted to do. Actually, I don't really remember wanting to do much else. I went through a phase of wanting to be a vet, but it made me really sad. So I went back to fashion.

Fashion

HEAD GOLF: From Structure to Freedom

April 24, 2026

HEAD GOLF’s SS 2026 collection reflects a quiet transition from structure to freedom. Rather than relying on predictable sporting imagery, this collection centers on atmosphere and interaction. The brand invites a broader and more cultural perspective on golf, suggesting that it can belong to architects, designers, founders, thinkers and individuals who value aesthetics, detail, and sense of individuality as much as performance. By reframing golf through a softer, more human lens, the campaign unfolds space for new narratives and new participants. It is not about redefining golf loudly, but about allowing it to feel contemporary, creative, and quietly alive.

Creative Direction by Ka Ho Kam
Art Direction by Masha Osorio
Director Alexandra A. Garcia
Cinematography by Vladimir Potop
First Assistant Jupiter Gregory Jones
Second Assistant Fallou Seck
Digital Imaging Technician Alexandra Kuhn
Set Design by Taja Feistner
Set Dressing by Tomi Heady
Styling by Jensen Edmondson
Styling Assistant Andrea
Styling Assistant Polina
Makeup by Tatyana Harkoff
Hair by Kyle Malone
Hair Assistant Vika Osyhenko
Production Assistant Jenny Na
Production Assistant Linnuo Zheng

Fashion

Fabian Kis-Juhasz: The Idea of Constructed Intimacy

April 24, 2026

The Hungarian fashion designer Fabian Kis-Juhasz unveils his new campaign: "The collection is an iteration of the recurring themes, concepts and techniques that I keep going back to. I liked the idea of intimacy being constructed through tension, and how this is echoed in the construction of the garments. None of the lines and cutouts are traditional and in that way they feel almost random, but everything is engineered and nothing is by chance. I also like the push-pull between the jersey and athletic pieces and the more structured and controlled ones."

"When I pitched the collection to Bella she really liked it, but we never really went into details about what it means. I think it was just a very organic match. She came up with the idea of shooting with the bunnies and I immediately said yes. The references her idea conjured up, the colours of easter, the symbol of the egg, the Lewis Carroll of it all just felt so perfect. I also loved that she proposed them as self portraits. I feel like it harkened back to this idea of constructed intimacy."