The six-time Super Bowl champion New England Patriots are headquartered just a few miles down Route 1 in Massachusetts from Charles River Apparel, PPAI 100’s No. 39 supplier. So, the partnership between the two brand names, a first of its kind for the Patriots, came out of a genuine connection and neighborly conversation that turned into creative collaboration.

“We wanted to do something special for fans and for New England,” Jason Lipsett, president and CEO of Charles River Apparel, told PPAI Media. “Something that celebrates our shared values of teamwork, excellence and giving back. There wasn’t a long-term plan or ambition to do this. It just made sense, and we’re thrilled about how naturally the relationship came together.”

  • The New England Patriots x Charles River Collection will provide limited edition styles and represents the “first time the Patriots have co-designed an exclusive collection of apparel for our fans,” according to Ali Towle, senior vice president of marketing for Kraft Sports + Entertainment.
  • The collection is already being sold at the ProShop in Foxborough, Massachusetts. The two organizations are also partnering on a two-day fan fest and warehouse sale with Patriots alumni players, cheerleaders and various activities from November 22–23 at Charles River’s Sharon, Massachusetts-based headquarters.
  • Notably, it will also be part of a rollout for Charles River’s direct-to-consumer website, CharlesRiver.com.


It’s that last point that may catch the attention of a number of people within the branded merchandise world, as it represents a new strategic lean for Charles River Apparel, at least in this particular case, into a direct-to-consumer model that differs in ways from the traditional promo model.

Our distributors remain at the heart of our business, and this launch was built to complement them, not compete with them.”

Jason Lipsett

President & CEO, Charles River Apparel

According to Lipsett, a 2024 PPAI Rising Star, the partnership with the Patriots, including the model by which the apparel will be sold, isn’t meant as a departure from promo’s supply chain but as an elevation of Charles River’s brand name – something he expects to benefit all of the supplier’s promo partners.

“It’s exciting for our industry to see a promotional products supplier collaborating with an iconic global brand like the New England Patriots,” Lipsett says. “Partnerships like this bring new visibility and credibility to the entire promo space, and the more recognizable the brand becomes, the more value it creates across the industry.”

Lipsett alluded to this vision when he was promoted to president of Charles River Apparel in September 2024.

  • His grandfather, Walter Lipsett, founded the company in 1983. 
  • His father, Barry Lipsett, recently transitioned from CEO to a formalized senior advisory role.


‘Complementing Distributors, Not Competing With Them’

For years, Charles River has developed deep relationships with distributor partners in order to achieve success in the promo industry. Lipsett told PPAI Media that the opportunity to work with the Patriots on this collaboration in the direct-to-consumer capacity is not an indication that those distributor partners should have any concerns with the supplier.

“Our distributors remain at the heart of our business, and this launch was built to complement them, not compete with them,” Lipsett says. “Charles River is already a trusted, established name, and my goal is to build on that strength by making our brand even more visible while creating new opportunities for our customers.”

He also made a point to clarify some fundamental differences between products available through the Patriots collaboration and the services offered through Charles River’s promo channels.

“Every item on the new site carries our logo on the outside, something we’ve never done before, and there’s no customization, decoration or bulk ordering,” Lipsett says. “Those services remain exclusively through our distributor partners.”

Ultimately, the supplier is presenting what it sees as one of its most exciting collaborations to date as an opportunity to create a higher level of brand credibility for the Charles River name, boosting its ability to reach more end users.

“When I stepped into leading the company, one of my goals was to modernize how people experience the Charles River brand while continuing to strengthen the foundation that has made us successful for more than 40 years,” Lipsett says. “To me, this is an evolution, not a change in direction.

“This launch marks the first step in a larger refresh of the Charles River brand, and the Patriots partnership created the perfect opportunity to introduce the brand to a broader audience in an authentic, local way. End buyers today are drawn to recognizable, trusted brands, and that creates new opportunities for our distributors. A stronger connection to Charles River gives them even more credibility when presenting the line.”