Megan Rapinoe Shows Off 'Fierce' Side with Kyle Kuzma, Gus Kenworthy for Abercrombie & Fitch

The soccer star is featured among a host of other trailblazers and pioneers in Abercrombie's new fashion campaign

Published on February 6, 2020 07:45 AM

Megan Rapinoe can now add Abercrombie & Fitch model to her increasingly impressive resumé.

The world champion soccer player and activist is one of 24 stars of Abercrombie’s new “Face Your Fierce” campaign, which also includes Lakers star Kyle Kuzma, Olympic skier and advocate Gus Kenworthy, world champion Paralympian Scout Bassett, and many more pioneers of sport, entertainment, activism, literature and fashion.

Rapinoe, 34, tells PEOPLE exclusively that she was humbled and excited by the opportunity.

“I jumped at it right away. I mean, what a cool opportunity to be part of a big brand and a big national campaign with the lineup that they have,” she says. “My high school self is like, ‘Oh my God, this is insane.'”

The soccer star adds: “It’s cool also to be able to get out of the sports world. I always jump at the opportunities to do something different and challenge myself and sort of get myself in a different realm. So this is exciting for me,” says Rapinoe. “We didn’t even have an Abercrombie store in my town [growing up] — we had to go to a mall in a bigger town. It totally brings me back to my younger days.”

For Rapinoe, the “Fierce” part of the campaign means celebrating opportunities to be bold, different and human.

“Fierce to me means just being who you are and feeling confident in being that person,” she says. “And I feel very lucky to have people around me in the family who really support me and make me feel it’s good to be that way.”

Although Rapinoe admits that she is still adjusting to the spotlight, she tries to focus on being grateful for the platform and opportunities she’s earned.

“It sounds so corny and cliché, but I’m making sure I’m taking time to be grateful,” she says. “We’re stupid lucky. Obviously there’s difficult things about it, but in the grand scheme, this is pretty amazing. I definitely find myself at times feeling frustrated, [saying] ‘I can’t believe I’m getting on another flight, blah, blah,’ and then I take a step back and think why all of this is happening — the reason behind everything and what we were able to do this summer as a team, and what impact we’re having.”

Rapinoe continues: “We want kids to be able to look at us and not only see us on the soccer field. We want to say, ‘You can do whatever you want.’ You can be doing Abercrombie & Fitch and you can be doing soccer and you can be involved politically and you can do whatever it is that you want to do.”

Abercrombie's New Fierce Campaign — Members of Abercrombie’s ‘Fierce Family,” from left to right: Ryan Russell, Scout Bassett, Michael Robert McCauley, Megan Rapinoe and Taylor Rapp. Abercrombie & Fitch

Abercrombie’s 2020 #FaceYourFierce campaign’s cast, also known as the “Fierce Family,” is building off of 2019’s successful relaunch of its iconic fragrance, Fierce.

The year-long campaign celebrates trailblazers from all genres. In addition to Rapinoe, Kuzma, Kenworthy and Basseyt, it includes: transgender model, actor, dancer and advocate Leyna Bloom; Los Angeles Rams safety and advocate Taylor Rapp; athlete, writer and poet Ryan Russell; model and actor Michael Robert McCauley; actor, singer/songwriter and model Laith Ashley; fisherman and outdoor ambassador Maddie Brenneman; trailblazers of industry and community The Compton Cowboys; model, host and author Naomi Shimada; Houston Ballet soloist Harper Watters; comedian and host Andy Lalwani; model Georgia Fowler; professional athlete and advocate Keegan Hirst; influencer and self-love advocate Halle Hathaway; professional big wave surfer Jojo Roper; dancer and director Adrien Dantou; artist and performer Fernando Casablancas; actor, producer and We the Women Collective founder Nathalie Love; and journalist and digital entrepreneur Sabina Socol.