Trailblazing footballer Josh Cavallo teams up with Ralph Lauren to ‘bring change for the better’
Josh Cavallo has teamed up with Ralph Lauren to “bring change for the better”. (Instagram/Ralph Lauren)
Josh Cavallo has teamed up with Ralph Lauren to “bring change, change for the better”.
The Australian pro football player, who came out as gay in October 2021, has announced his “partnership with the Ralph Lauren family”.
The trailblazing sportsman’s first campaign for the brand is the launch of the RLX CLARUS Polo Shirt.
He appears in the ad campaign wearing the white polo shirt described as “the world’s first-ever high-performance cotton apparel”.
Cavallo revealed the photoshoot on his Instagram page, saying he’s “excited” about the partnership in the photo’s caption.
Fans were pleased to see LGBT+ visibility in a campaign for a huge brand, with one commenting: “Keep on representing Josh!”.
Others wrote, “no limits” and “this is an incredible message for young LGBT+”, as well as “you are creating change for good”.
Some fans also commented on the picture saying, “let’s goooooo with that big smile!!!” and “you look so handsome”.
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His full caption reads: “Today is the announcing of my partnership with the Ralph Lauren family. I’m excited to be a part of the global launch of RLX CLARUS® Polo Shirt.
“I’m here to bring change, change for the better”.
The shirt will launch in February on the Ralph Lauren website and in-store.
It’s available in four colours in the men’s section, while additional colours and a broader collection of styles will follow in both the men’s and women’s sections.
To find out more about the polo shirt and to shop head to ralphlauren.com.
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Josh Cavallo responds to homophobic abuse
Earlier this month, Cavallo was subjected to homophobic abuse during a match against Melbourne Victory in Australia’s A-League.
After coming on the pitch as a second-half substitute fans in the AAMI Park lobbed slurs and boos at the left-back player.
In a statement on Twitter he wrote: “I’m not going to pretend that I didn’t see or hear the homophobic abuse at the game last night.
“There are no words to tell you how disappointed I was. As a society, it shows we still face these problems in 2022.
“This shouldn’t be acceptable and we need to do more to hold these people accountable.
“I will never apologise for living my truth and most recently, who I am outside of football.”
According to the Sydney Morning Herald, his team, Adelaide United have asked police to investigate death threats made against the footballer.
South Australian Police have reportedly been asked to investigate the corresponding online abuse directed at Cavallo through social media, which has included death threats and other disturbing messages.
While the in-person incident is being investigated by the Australian Professional Leagues, who are working together with the operators of AAMI Park to identify those responsible for the hate coming from the stand using CCTV and broadcast footage.
The APL has promised to ban the perpetrators from attending future matches once they have been identified.
