The Rise of the Red Roses: Fashioning a New Narrative in Women’s Sport

As the Red Roses prepare to face USA this weekend, we caught up with star Ellie Kildunne to discuss her efforts to help push the women’s game forward.

Creatively gifted Kildunne has not just competed for England and Harlequins at 15s and for Great Britain at 7s, but has grown into a social media guru during her short career so far. An undeniable talent on the pitch, she has transcended her role as an athlete, using her channels to champion women’s sport as a whole by showcasing the stories and efforts behind women’s rugby, bringing visibility to her sport.

Her most recent endeavour is the launch of a fashion collection that merges sport, culture and advocacy in a groundbreaking collaboration with the RFU and O2 and the Women’s Sport Trust.

Described by Kildunne as “a creative output to help grow the women’s game, help grow our brand individually as players and to shift the marketing scheme to grow the audience,” its release comes as Kildunne and her England teammates eye next year’s Women’s Rugby World Cup on home soil.

With big tournaments coming up, “I wanted to have more exposure and then the RFU and O2 asked if I could design some pieces with the women’s sports report to create the first ever wearable report” she says.

The aim of wearable collection is to help tackle the gender awareness gap in rugby by highlighting the key findings from the Women’s Sport Trust report, The Visibility of Women’s Rugby Union, 2024.  For instance, ‘The popularity of the Guinness Women’s Six Nations, amongst 18–24-year-old avid fans has risen from 19% to 24% year-on-year’ and ‘although the Red Roses have won the past six consecutive Guinness Women’s Six Nations tournaments, 63% of rugby union fans aren’t yet able to name a player on the England’s women’s team.’

The collection uses fashion as a tool to bring awareness of their gender disparity in sports, providing fans with not just something to wear but something to talk about. With each piece, Kildunne and her collaborators make a strong statement that the world of rugby is evolving.

These efforts happening off the pitch, alongside the Red Roses’ success on it, are already making an impact. According to the Women’s Sport Trust, the gender awareness gap between the women and the men’s game is now at 15%, a marked change from 25% in 2023.

“That gap between us is shrinking and that’s massive,” says Six Nations Grand Slam champion and Bristol Bears’ hooker, Lark Atkin-Davies. “I think stuff like the fashion collection is a big driver in that decrease. As Red Roses we hope that we’re like putting on performances that are making people want to come and watch us. We hope with the collection that it targets a different audience to what we might target if we were sort of in our England kit. That’s really important if we want to sell out the Allianz.”

The Red Roses have already been coined the record-breakers and their star is continually growing. From attracting a record-breaking, 58,498 fans to a Six Nations fixture last year, to opening the newly named Allianz Stadium in front of a further 41,523 fans and despatching the reigning world champions at the same time, momentum is with this team.

Despite the positive headlines, Kildunne is adamant that continued and sustained visibility is the keys to driving prolonged change.

“I think the opportunity that, not just women’s rugby, but women’s sports have, is that we’ve got so many stories that may influence someone else to get involved.

“It doesn’t have to be about picking up a rugby ball either, look at the Olympics and the investment that the USA team was able to generate,” she says, referencing the stratospheric rise of U.S. sevens star Ilona Maher. First gaining attention during the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, Maher became the most-followed active rugby player globally by the end of the 2024 Paris Games, boasting over 3.4 million followers across Instagram and TikTok.

Her content whilst showcasing her rugby pursuits, primarily emphasises body positivity and inclusivity, resonating deeply with her followers, promoting a broader conversation about the diversity of athletes’ body types. This popularity, combined with the U.S. team’s success, played a huge role in attracting a $4 million investment from Michele Kang, owner of Washington Spirit and London City Lionesses to support U.S women’s rugby over four years.

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