PARIS — Last week, the international soccer star Zlatan Ibrahimovic, captain of the Swedish national team, scheduled a news conference in Paris at precisely 5 p.m., three days before the start of the European Championship in France. Speculation began that the 34-year-old Swedish striker, who last month quit Paris St.-Germain of Ligue 1 after four seasons, was going to announce that he had signed with Manchester United in the English Premier League, a major score in professional soccer. But in Zlatan style, he zigged instead of zagged and faked them all out.
He wasn’t joining another team — at least not yet. He was jumping onto the athleisure bandwagon.
So began the unveiling of A-Z, a new activewear brand in a highly limited palette (navy, gray, white, black, and dark red) with relatively simple lines. Produced in partnership with the Norwegian retail group Varner, it will be available online in 11 European countries, with plans to roll…