Edmonton business leader highlights the significance of Connor McDavid's wife Lauren Kyle McDavid's major investment in the city's downtown

Time of India

3 days ago

In downtown Edmonton, a glamorous new hotspot is drawing more than just design enthusiasts. Bar Trove, along with Trove Living furniture showroom, is set to open its doors June 6, and the buzz is building — not just for its high-end offerings but for the name behind it: Lauren Kyle McDavid, wife of Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid.
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How Lauren Kyle McDavid and others are redefining fame and influence in sports culture
Wearing a glittery pink dress, Lauren Kyle McDavid welcomed influencers to a preview event filled with oysters, cocktails, red carpets, and a DJ. But this wasn't just another celebrity vanity project — it marked another milestone in the growing cultural and commercial power of the modern WAG, or 'wife and girlfriend' of an athlete.
'To have this star's wife putting money into our city and investing in our city is really special,' said Quinn Phillips of the Edmonton Downtown Business Association.
Kyle McDavid, who also runs Kyle & Co Design Studio and contributes to the Sports Club Atelier fashion line, is part of a rising trend in which athlete spouses are leveraging social media, business acumen, and style to build independent brands — and loyal followings.
From silent partners to social powerhouses: the evolution of WAGs in the spotlight
According to University of Alberta professor Judy Liao, the WAG resurgence began during the pandemic when social media use exploded. She credits early icons like Victoria Beckham, who helped turn her relationship with soccer legend David Beckham into a cultural phenomenon.
But today's WAGs operate differently — they control their own narratives.
'The resurgence of WAGs is really because of social media,' Liao says. 'Social media is a really important place to construct and show people themselves as a person, not just a profession.'
Canadian WAGs like Stephanie LaChance, wife of Mitch Marner, and international megastars like Taylor Swift, dubbed the 'Yoko Ono of the NFL' by some sports sociologists, illustrate the scale of influence these women wield.
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Swift, through her relationship with Travis Kelce, has even been credited with drawing a new demographic of female fans to football.
Fame, fashion, and identity beyond the athlete
While some may argue that WAG fame piggybacks on their partners' success, Cheri Bradish of the Future of Sport Lab sees it differently.
'The bigger picture here, in an authentic way, is that social media has really created opportunities,' Bradish says. 'This interest from consumers in the WAG story is really powerful.'
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With personal branding, business ventures, and carefully curated online identities, modern WAGs like Lauren Kyle McDavid are turning passive roles into platforms of power — and reshaping the fan experience of sports culture along the way.