TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (April 2, 2026) – Crimson Tide Sports Marketing (CTSM), in partnership with AVO (Digital Brands Group), announced the launch of Tide Fest, which will take place on Saturday, April 18 from 1:30-5 p.m. CT on The University of Alabama Quad in front of Lloyd Hall.
“This partnership with AVO is a great example of how we can think creatively to create new opportunities for fan engagement while generating meaningful NIL support for our student-athletes,” said Jim Carabin, General Manager of Crimson Tide Sports Marketing. “Tide Fest is an innovative collaboration that brings together live entertainment and college athletics in a way that benefits the entire Crimson Tide community.”
Tide Fest, which is free and open to the public, will feature a concert by Kashus Culpepper, in addition to an interactive fan zone, AVO 21+ Lounge, live custom shirt screen printing with AVO and appearances and autograph sessions with Alabama student-athletes. For updated details, please visit our official website www.capstoneconcert.com
“This partnership between AVO and The University of Alabama illustrates how we work with universities to create engaging products, content and experiences for fans and students alike, while remaining focused on supporting student-athletes through the university’s NIL,” said Hil Davis, CEO of AVO and Digital Brands Group. “We are very grateful to The University of Alabama and Yea Alabama for being the first university to partner with AVO. They have leaned in, and together, we are developing concepts like this that benefit the entire university’s ecosystem.”
This event marks another significant milestone for AVO (NASDAQ: DBGI), building on its partnership with Alabama Athletics through Yea Alabama and CTSM on the NIL front, expanding into a first-of-its-kind collaboration on the concert activation platform.
AVO uses a market-driven approach to advertising and has found that student-athletes provide authentic endorsements of its apparel.
ABOUT AVO
AVO Clothing is a direct-to-consumer apparel brand made in the USA, focused on supporting student athletes by donating a percentage of every sale to collegiate NIL funds. AVO products are made premium-quality, soft, and comfortable essentials—including t-shirts, tanks, shorts, fleece tops, bottoms, and leggings—redefining the intersection of collegiate fashion, women’s sports, and community impact.
By prioritizing craftsmanship and high-quality, cozy fabrics while cultivating a community-first ecosystem, AVO has created exceptional demand and channeled its momentum into purpose-driven initiatives. AVO produces collegiate NIL capsule collections, with proceeds directly supporting women’s sports funds at partnering universities, empowering female student-athletes and their teams. Monthly drops are co-designed with student-athletes, sororities, and university partners to ensure each collection is authentic, relevant, and connected to the communities it serves.
This past fall, AVO launched its college influencer tour at The University of Alabama, hosting two home-game activations featuring Hallie Batchelder, Darcy McQueeny, Sydney Thomas, Sarah Ashlee Barker, Aaliyah Nye, HaHa Clinton-Dix, Trent Richardson and Mary Sergi. The tour continued with men’s and women’s basketball game sponsorships and gymnastics meet sponsorships during the winter months.
AVO was developed and launched by Digital Brands Group, Inc. (DBG)—a NASDAQ-listed company (DBGI) based in Austin, Texas—known for curating modern luxury lifestyle brands. DBG’s leadership, including CEO Hil Davis, guides AVO’s strategic direction and operational execution.
ABOUT KASHUS CULPEPPER
Alabama-born country crooner Kashus Culpepper encompasses the sound of the South. A student and reverent purveyor of Southern music – country, soul, blues, folk and rock – Culpepper’s husky, sandpaper growl bellows like a freight train over self-penned stories that are as raw and real as they are haunting. Finding his voice in church as young as five years old, it wasn’t until 2020’s global pandemic that Culpepper went from listener to performer, picking up a guitar and learning cover songs to play at barrack bonfires in Rota, Spain during his deployment with the Navy. Covers soon became originals, and once he landed home on U.S. shores, Kash played dive bars up and down the Mississippi Gulf Coast, making a name for himself with the fresh-yet-reminiscent sound that oozes from his very being. Crashing into prominence, Culpepper sold out headline club shows throughout the South before formally releasing a single song. With Nashville taking notice, Culpepper found a musical home at Big Loud Records. Culpepper has joined Leon Bridges, Sierra Ferrell and Darius Rucker on tour – embarking this year on a headlining run as well as dates with Wyatt Flores and Eric Church. Named one of the 2026 Shazam Fast Forward Class, WXPN’s Artist to Watch for January 2026, 2026 Nashville Scene Artist to Watch, GRAMMY.com’s 25 Artists to Watch in 2025, Apple Music Zane Lowe’s 25 Artists for ’25, 2025 Variety Power of Young Hollywood Impact Report, Opry NextStage Class of 2025, Billboard’s February 2025 Country Rookie of the Month, 2025 Amazon Music Bonfire Artist to Watch, Apple Music’s February 2025 Country Riser of the Month, 2025 Pandora Country Artist to Watch and Martin Artist Showcase Class of 2025, Rolling Stone declares: “If what we’ve heard so far is any indication, expect 2026 to be a breakthrough year for this Alabama singer.” Culpepper’s debut album Act I is out now.
ABOUT CRIMSON TIDE SPORTS MARKETING
Crimson Tide Sports Marketing (CTSM) solely represents The University of Alabama. In complete collaboration with the university, this locally based Learfield team is committed to extending the affinity of the Alabama brand to businesses and corporations of all sizes seeking to align with one of the most loyal and passionate fan bases in collegiate athletics.
As the exclusive multimedia rights holder for the Alabama Crimson Tide, CTSM manages all aspects of the rights relationship, providing corporate partners with both traditional and new media opportunities with the university. Learfield is a leading media, data and technology services company in intercollegiate athletics.
For Media Inquiries:
Hil Davis
Digital Brands President
Email: invest@digitalbrandsgroup.co