Despite a few well-dressed players who’ve received the mark of approval from Anna Wintour, when we think “innovative fashion,” the NFL rarely comes to mind.
That’s all about to change. The NFL has partnered with the Fashion Institute of Technology to revamp the league’s branding. According to WWD, the organization has gone from scouting young athletic talents to young fashion talents for design ideas. The select design will be used on certain NFL merchandise after the season begins.
Sterling Shepard, New York Giants wide receiver, will debut the winning look at an upcoming event for the NFLxFIT Visual System Design contest and exhibition at The Museum at FIT. The designs will be on display April 14th through the 29th.
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Rhiannon E. Madden, NFL’s vice president of consumer products, commented on the NFL’s decision to seek out a fresh new look. “We entered this project with FIT with the hopes of exploring new ways to reach and engage with the NFL’s growing fan base by incorporating a fresh look into the products they already love,” he said.
“The passion and dedication from the students far exceeded our expectations and the work resulted in exceptional, inspired and innovative approaches to complement the NFL marks,” he continued.
Teams of students studying across various majors were encouraged to brainstorm athletic creations for a major prize. Winners receive a $15,000 grand prize. While the runner up receives $10,000. There’s also a “People’ Choice Award” with a $5,000 prize.
FIT’s assistant chair for Communication Design C.J. Yeh, who led the project with Christie Shin, said, “This partnership with the NFL presented a set of very unique and interesting design challenges, which leads to engaging learning experiences that will result in long-lasting skills that our students can leverage in their careers.”
NFL and FIT judges weighed in on the final verdict. Could an entire revamp of the longtime uniform be next? Also: Students...designing for the NFL? Why oh why wasn’t this turned into a Tim Gunn-narrated reality TV show?