Columbus-Based Fashion Retailer Partners with Hometown Athletes CJ Stroud and Jaxon Smith-Njigba

Express, Inc. (NYSE: EXPR), a leading fashion apparel retailer, today announces an expansion of the Company’s styling community with the debut of local Columbus collegiate football players CJ Stroud and Jaxon Smith-Njigba as the brand’s first-ever collegiate athlete style ambassadors.

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Express Partners with Hometown Athletes CJ Stroud and Jaxon Smith-Njigba (Photo: Business Wire)

This announcement is part of the retailer's goal to connect with new customers through a range of influential partners, including style editors, influencers, ambassadors and now, college athletes. Stroud and Smith-Njigba will work alongside Express and leverage their platforms to share how they approach dressing for off-the-field occasions and inspire others with their personal style.

“As we build and engage our styling community, we look for partners who embody our brand purpose to create confidence and inspire self-expression. We’re delighted to welcome CJ Stroud and Jaxon Smith-Njigba to share their perspective on how personal style contributes to their confidence,” said Sara Tervo, Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer at Express. “CJ and Jaxon are two outstanding, influential college athletes from our corporate hometown of Columbus, Ohio and we expect that their authenticity and relatability will appeal to our current customers as well as draw a new, younger demographic to our brand.”

Stroud and Smith-Njigba will take to their own social channels and the brand’s channels to share content about how they turn to fashion to look and feel their most confident selves. Over the next year, Stroud will connect with Express customers through his participation in future campaigns and will make in-store and digital appearances.

“I’m excited to be the newest Express ambassador and talk about my personal style,” said collegiate quarterback CJ Stroud. “Whether I’m dressing up for game day or hanging out with friends, my clothes reflect how I’m feeling that day, and Express always comes through with different fits for all the occasions in my life. When I put on a suit, I get a special feeling – it creates a whole new level of confidence and I’m hoping to inspire others to feel that way every time they get dressed.”

For more information on the Express style community or to follow along as Stroud and Smith-Njigba speak to occasion dressing, visit Express.com, @expressmen on Instagram and @express on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter and TikTok.

About Express, Inc.

Grounded in versatility and powered by a styling community, Express is a modern, multichannel apparel and accessories brand whose purpose is to Create Confidence & Inspire Self-Expression. Launched in 1980 with the idea that style, quality and value should all be found in one place, Express has been a part of some of the most important and culture-defining fashion trends. The Express Edit design philosophy ensures that the brand is always ‘of the now’ so people can get dressed for every day and any occasion knowing that Express can help them look the way they want to look and feel the way they want to feel.

The Company operates over 550 retail and outlet stores in the United States and Puerto Rico, the express.com online store and the Express mobile app. Express, Inc. is comprised of the brands Express and UpWest, and is traded on the NYSE under the symbol EXPR. For more information, please visit www.express.com.

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