How Travis Kelce & NFL Stars Redefine Men's Style

The NFL tunnel walk used to be a hallway. Now it's a runway, and the league treats it that way. The NFL's first fashion editor, Kyle Smith, landed the role after Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow personally tapped him for styling during Paris Fashion Week in June 2024.

In under two years, he's turned the league into a genuine sartorial force, with the NFL now employing him specifically to cover it. That's not a fan theory. That's an actual job inside the league office.

Travis Kelce is the biggest name driving that shift, but he's not the only one. Here's what NFL style is actually doing in 2026, and how to wear pieces of it without a locker in Kansas City.

Travis Kelce's Tunnel Walk Playbook

Kelce enters his 14th season this year, and this spring, Tommy Hilfiger named him global brand ambassador and creative collaborator, a partnership running through the 2026-2027 season with a capsule collection landing in 2027.

That deal didn't come out of nowhere. Kelce's been treating the tunnel like his own personal runway for years, mixing vintage-inflected suits with bold statement pieces. He already has his own apparel line, Tru Kolors, launched back in 2019, plus a 2025 American Eagle collaboration, so the Hilfiger deal is less a debut and more a promotion.

The jewelry is part of that story too. Before a November game against the Colts, Kelce arrived in a rare Rolex Daytona Rainbow watch, a piece reported to run well past $500,000. That's the extreme end. The instinct behind it, using one serious accessory to anchor an otherwise simple outfit, scales down easily.

The luxury cufflinks collection works the same way. One well-made piece, not five competing for attention.

The Statement Ring Comes From the Top

Kelce's jewelry instincts go beyond what he wears. He worked directly with jeweler Kindred Lubeck to design his own engagement ring, choosing a large old mine cut diamond himself rather than picking something off a shelf.

Whatever your view on athlete jewelry spending, that's a real, hands-on approach to what a ring says about the person wearing it.

The fashion jewelry collection covers that same instinct at a normal budget. A ring doesn't need a six-figure stone to carry meaning. It needs to be chosen on purpose, the same way Kelce chose every detail of that stone himself instead of leaving it to a jeweler's default catalog.

Chains and Layered Jewelry Take Over the Tunnel

Kelce isn't the only one setting the tone.

Week 1 tunnel arrivals across the league are now covered the way red carpets get covered, and ESPN's own recap noted that accessories, icy chains, standout jewelry, and sleek bags, are doing as much talking as the outfits themselves before a single helmet goes on.

That layered-chain look translates cleanly off the field. The chain cufflinks collection brings that same removable, layered energy to a dress shirt, and the bracelets collection covers the wrist half of the equation for anyone who wants the look without a full jersey.

Both work whether you're headed to an office or a Sunday watch party of your own.

Brooches and Canes: The NFL's Newest Statement Pieces

Not every standout tunnel piece is jewelry in the traditional sense.

At Super Bowl LIX, Justin Reid arrived in a sleeveless plum vest and matching pants, finished with a wide-brimmed hat and a statement cane topped with a metal lion detail. It's an unusual accessory choice, but the logic behind it is exactly what a brooch does for a lapel: one bold, specific detail that makes the whole outfit memorable.

The brooch and lapel pin collection is the wearable, everyday version of that same idea. You don't need a cane. You need one piece that's unmistakably yours, chosen with the same intent Reid put into a detail most guys wouldn't think twice about.

Beyond Kelce: Who Else Is Leading NFL Style

Justin Jefferson, Stefon Diggs, Joe Burrow, and Quentin Lake have all become fixtures in NFL style coverage, each blending streetwear with high fashion in their own tunnel rotation.

Fashion press covering last season's tunnel looks singled out players like Al-Quadin Muhammad for his command of proportion in oversized silhouettes, and Mike Sainristil for pairing a Goyard bag with Gucci loafers, the kind of high-low mixing that used to be reserved for actual runways.

None of them dress identically, which is the actual lesson here. NFL style isn't one look. It's a shared willingness to treat an accessory as a real decision instead of an afterthought.

How to Wear NFL Tunnel Energy Off the Field

A few ways to bring that energy into a normal wardrobe.

Pick one anchor piece. Kelce's watch, Reid's cane, a chain, a ring: the common thread across every strong tunnel look is one clear focal point, not five accessories competing.

Let quality stand in for spectacle. You don't need a six-figure watch to make the same point. A well-made cufflink or ring says "I thought about this" just as clearly.

Match your metals the way stylists do. NFL tunnel looks read as intentional because the jewelry, buckles, and hardware usually share one tone. Do the same with your cufflinks, tie bar, and any rings.

Save the boldest piece for the moment that earns it. Not every Tuesday needs a statement ring. Save it for the room where it'll actually get noticed.

Coordinate across your whole outfit, not just one piece. The best tunnel looks work because the jewelry, the shoes, and the bag all point the same direction. A single strong accessory can still get lost if everything else is fighting it for attention.

Dress Like You're Walking Through Something

The tunnel walk works because these guys treat a hallway like it matters. Your Monday commute or your next formal event deserves the same attention, even without cameras waiting. HawsonVIP has the cufflinks, rings, and brooches to bring a little of that tunnel confidence into a wardrobe that never has to run through Arrowhead.

Pick your anchor piece, wear it like it means something, and let the rest of the outfit follow that lead.