After losing the undisputed world super middleweight title last year, Canelo Álvarez went back to his roots.
This past weekend, the Mexican boxing hero rebounded from his loss to Terence Crawford by facing Christian Mbilli.Fans might have noticed that he was introduced as "Santos Saúl Canelo Álvarez." It was the first time in his professional career that he was identified by his first name.
Oved Valadez, founder and creative director of INDUSTRY, has worked with Álvarez for several years now as a brand consultant, first on his VMC line of cocktails, and now on his new lifestyle brand, SANTOS, which the boxer wore leading up to and for the fight. In an interview with USA TODAY Sports, Valadez explained how the creative process of SANTOS mirrored
Álvarez' personal journey of reflection.
"Yes, it's a mouthful, but we're very intentional of how, in the moment, to connect this brand to him," Valadez said of Álvarez utilizing his name, "because it goes larger than any merch or any collection or what he's wearing. It's an embodiment of a mindset."
Álvarez, 36, beat Mbilli by unanimous decision to hoist the WBC super middleweight belt. He appeared confident and lighthearted even though there continues to be questions about if he's still got it − and there was criticism around the "Mexico vs. The World" event being held in Saudi Arabia despite violence in the area.
“I don’t care about the good or bad things people say about me. This is bigger than me,” Álvarez said before the fight. “I am proud of where I come from and to be Mexican. That will always be my greatest honor.”
Inside SANTOS' design elements
The loss to Crawford put Álvarez's resilience on display. Processing the boxer's next move, it felt like the right opportunity to showcase the grit and discipline that isn't necessarily highlighted during a winning streak.
"He has this relentless attitude that is so contagious," Valadez said. "Like, you love him or hate him, it's relentless. He's always moving forward in the way he boxes, in his entrepreneurship, in his ventures. He's not undefeated. He's not perfect, but he's unstoppable. And that embodiment of being unstoppable is something that we're like, 'Aha!' This is something we can hold on to as as a nugget. Now, that is your core DNA."
The materials that Valadez and Álvarez are using for SANTOS, including wool and bamboo, reflect the brand's values of longevity and legacy. Álvarez's birth year, 1990, is a key element of the designs. The poncho, gloves and trunks that Álvarez wore in the fight are a custom green color that is in the process of being patented and furthers the message of ownership.
Álvarez previously had brand partnerships with luxury brands Dolce & Gabbana and AMIRI. His walkout outfits featured luxe satin fabrics and gold embroidery, "these glorified costumes," Valadez said. But for his ring walk against Mbilli, Álvarez wore what looked like a towel with a hole cut for his head. The look was inspired by Mike Tyson and was intentionally "just stripped to the essence."
The fight served as SANTOS' debut with a global launch of the performance and lifestyle apparel set for 2027. The promotional campaign features striking black and white visuals and there's another layer of brand partnerships yet to be revealed.
Why 'SANTOS?'
The name SANTOS was Álvarez's own idea for the brand. Besides compiling a record of 64-3-2 with 39 knockouts and holding the title of undisputed super middleweight champ twice, he has gained popularity because of his rags-to-riches story. He was born in Jalisco, Guadalajara, and grew up with seven siblings. As a kid, he would sell popsicles and ice cream to help his family make ends meet.
"When we got into reclaiming who you are and claiming your identity, it kind of got the wheels turning, and he's like, 'It should be SANTOS,'" Valadez said. "So that came from him, from his core, which is as a brand individual like me that builds big brands and big stories around the world, that became really exciting because it came from the source."
After 21 years of jet-setting and carrying Mexico on his back, Álvarez has made $800 million and owns a bus system in his hometown. At this point in his career, his ventures aren't about money, but about legacy.
Valadez was born in Jalisco, 45 minutes away from Álvarez, and moved to the United States when he was a child. His work is rooted in his experience as an immigrant and emphasizes authenticity and forward-thinking. He's built Nike's TOMA soccer series, Travis Scott's Cactus Jack brand and other projects with established companies and brands like YouTube and Timberland.
"Those things kind of like, allowed us to be able to build a brand based on our experiences," Valadez said. "It's not just out of nothing. It's like, oh, there is something there. And more importantly, we don't want to isolate and say, 'Hey, this brand is for Latinos or Latino Americans.' Yes and no.
"We're going to show the inspiration from Guadalajara to the world, where unlike an Alo of the world, we say this is ours, but it is for everyone."
Valadez found similarities in SANTOS and his work with Lewis Hamilton from when INDUSTRY helped build the F1 icon's Almave non-alcoholic agave drink, a first of its kind. Hamilton is a record-breaking pioneer in his sport and carries that same mindset in his business ventures.
"I was like, 'Hey, we could do merch and T-shirts that say SANTOS, and you will sell them,'" he recalled telling Álvarez. "'But you don't need any more money. You will sell them for $100 a pop. And a lot of them, especially fight week, you will sell in the fifties-of-thousands.'
"But we could also create something completely new. So that's the way that we've embodied a lot of things, and it comes from individuals like a Lewis, like a Saúl that really see the world a little bit different."
Embracing one's differences is essential to the SANTOS brand. The tagline is "Be the exception" and Valadez said the mission is to invite people to live confidently in what makes them unique. He explained how this project embodies the ethos of INDUSTRY.
"Ads are boring to us. We could do them all day long," he said. "We could do events. We could do collections, but ultimately we want two things. One is we want to impact people so they feel like a true connection. And then the second part is we want to change behavior and create movements. We want these new movements to happen.
"Similar to SANTOS, it's a movement of seeing the world and always moving forward and having this kind of inner confidence versus doing what the herd is doing. It's like, no, I need to claim what I need for myself."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: How Canelo's brand SANTOS is extension of Mexican boxing champ's legacy
