Transcript
Speaker: Free audio post-production by Alphonic.com. The question is like, why a football club? Like, why are people so all over the world, more than anything else, so obsessed with their local football club? Welcome to the Fashion Geek Podcast, the show that helps you learn more about men's fashion and get some tips to help you dress your best.
Speaker: This is Reg Ferguson, Fashion Geek number one, and I'm a men's fashion consultant here in New York City, born and raised. My mission is to help you learn more about men's fashion so you can become fashion confident.
Speaker: Do you like soccer? Do you play Did you used to play Who's your league? MLS? City? The Premiership?
Speaker: Do you like the jerseys? Do you rock the jerseys? How many jerseys do you have? Do you have some throwbacks? Do you have teen jerseys, national jerseys?
Speaker: How often do you wear them? What do you wear them with? Jeans, sneakers, shoes? Do you think rocking a jersey is part of street wear?
Speaker: My guests, Sasha Weiss and Max Masomoto of Red Hook Football Club are here on the show because they not only wear jerseys, they design one.
Speaker: Well, three for their own club. So if they teach you something about soccer jerseys and street wear, Would you be fashion confused? Like, how do I pair this Flamengo jersey with my kicks?
Speaker: Or would you be fashion confident? You could be one of the cool kids.
Speaker: Hey, if you ever found yourself staring at the closet, not knowing what to wear, the idea of shopping for clothes makes you feel physically ill, wait till the end of the show and I have something for you.
Speaker: But for now, let's get to the show. Today, we're going to talk with Max Matsumoto and Sasha Weiss of Red Hook Football Club. we're going to talk about something the everyday man should have an interest in.
Speaker: Is soccer style street style?
Speaker: Max and Sasha in the building. How are you guys? Great. Great. How are you, Reg? Great to see you. I'm well. Great to be seen. Clearly, we all got the memo to wear soccer jerseys.
Speaker: So ah before we go into our topic, please tell us, gentlemen, so what do you do? So what do you do?
Speaker: So what do you
Speaker: We are both members of the Red Hook Football Club team. More specifically, Mac speaking here, is the branding, marketing, semi-designer, semi-all things needed at Red Hook Football Club.
Speaker: um So a lot of different things in the job title, but essentially one-size-fits-all Red Hook Football Club Ultra. Yeah, max is Max is one of the founding members of the club.
Speaker: um I originally founded Reddick Football Club. The idea came to me two years ago, and ah and about a year ago it became official. um And so we run this football club, which we think is the coolest story in...
Speaker: American soccer and and American sports, really. And it's it's it's in it's it's a grassroots phase, but we got we got a lot of ambition and we're lucky to have a lot of community support. So excited to ah keep building and excited to be here with with Reg, who we're lucky is, happens to be part of Red Up Football Club as well. So it's ah super grateful.
Speaker: Well, I'm really flattered that you're saying that I'm part of the club. Of course. Everyone is. That's really kind. And everyone on YouTube um and listening, I'm not going to tear up.
Speaker: But that was very—I didn't expect those guys to do that. So that was very nice. so
Speaker: What I really want to get into is, again, we all have soccer jerseys on or, world you know, depending where you are in the world, sweaters, um you know, jersey sweaters, blah, blah, blah, blah.
Speaker: I like to feel, because I'm a little older than you guys, that from a New York City standpoint, as a native, that I felt like I was one of the individuals, not the individual, of course not, that's presumptuous, but I started rocking jerseys, you know, with jeans and sambas or, you know, whatever I had on for kicks, out in the world, out in streets, right?
Speaker: And what's really great, I think, potentially about this conversation is that you guys represent, you know, the new, right? You're the latest and greatest generation to carry this tradition.
Speaker: But what I'm really curious about and really want to learn from the two of you, right, because you are younger, is is this soccer jersey thing really now an element of street style?
Speaker: Of street wear? Well, what's your take? I mean, I think for starters, yes. In part, all three of us wearing jerseys, right, is an example um and a manifestation of that sort of appreciation for the cross-section of soccer and fashion.
Speaker: More broadly speaking, i think when you zoom out and think of jerseys um beyond just soccer, so baseball jerseys, basketball jerseys, in the history of American fashion, um and in more particular, I guess, New York fashion, it has always sort of been very prevalent, right? Whether it's the Yankee hat or Knicks jersey or the pinstripes of the Yankee jersey, jerseys have been sort of intertwined in New York culture, in New York fashion.
Speaker: um And oftentimes, I think that is more closely paralleled to the sort of streetty street style, street wear aesthetic, as opposed to the more luxury fashion. say, business casual type of aesthetic.
Speaker: um So yes, I think jerseys have long been a part of that sort of fashion culture. And in more recent times, the soccer jersey trend has become I would say less trendy and more of a mainstay.
Speaker: um As the American community and American populace has adopted soccer um and is still currently adopting soccer, we are seeing the rise of the soccer jersey in fashion, whether that is representing your national team to the heritage your family is from, a club that you support, or simply just a jersey you really like.
Speaker: right And now you are seeing people out at the bar, people walking through Soho, wearing their jersey with a nice pair of jeans and some cool shoes. right And it is now an outfit as opposed to I'm throwing on this jersey to go play the sport that it is intended for.
Speaker: um So in a long-winded way, Yes, very much so. Soccer jerseys have become a mainstay in street style and in multiple fashion circles across the U.S. and particularly in in New York City.
Speaker: But doesn't it seem to be going beyond, just to your point, wearing a national jersey you know vis-a-vis the World Cup or wearing a local club jersey?
Speaker: Max, we had a conversation previous to this that love for you to elaborate. You were telling me about all these collabs with fashion brands that I was wholly unaware of. Speak to that, please.
Speaker: Yeah, yeah. And so I actually can pull this up really quick because I have some examples here um that we can speak to. um And I think it's important before I go into the details of these sort of collaborations and these brands to talk about how footballers and soccer fans have always expressed themselves through fashion.
Speaker: Individuals as as a whole have always expressed themselves through fashion. So that's nothing new. What has changed in recent is... it's become more of sort of a two-way street, I like to say, where now it's not just the fan or the footballer who wears a garment to feel sort of some type of way.
Speaker: Now the football clubs and the soccer world is adopting fashion and the street is now, ah like I said, a two-way street where the fashion world is embracing this game, embracing the characters in the game, embracing the individuals who support it. So some of the examples there If you are a visual um watcher here, you can see on screen.
Speaker: um Recently, Dior has partnered with Kylian Mbappe as a brand ambassador. So Kylian Mbappe being one of the premier names in the world's game currently. um Looking at streetwear brands, ah prominent streetwear brands such as Off-White have long collaborated in the soccer space, collaborated with specific clubs as well as their own line of soccer jerseys.
Speaker: Lueve partnered with Megan Rapinoe, who is one of the more famous women's soccer players of this generation. um She has taken the place as sort of a brand ambassador for them.
Speaker: And then more specifically, um these a lot of these brands have collaborated with specific clubs to do so limited edition kits, limited edition track suits. um Examples being Louis Vuitton, like I mentioned, Off-White.
Speaker: Pata has collaborated with Barcelona. Y3 has long collaborated with Real Madrid, coming out with jerseys and tracksuits. As recently as the Euros um in 2020, Versace did all of the Italian national team suits, all of their tracksuits, all of their on-the-field, off-the-field sort of garments, less so the jerseys.
Speaker: um So those are some collaborations to name a few. And then beyond the actual specific collaborations with these clubs, companies like Acne Studios um have released their own soccer jerseys as of late um in their in their newest collections.
Speaker: So you're starting to see that that collaboration, not just with the the established clubs and players in the world, but with just the affinity towards the game as a whole, right? So now you have brands releasing their own jerseys, right?
Speaker: And so I think that that sort of signifies that first question, what the connection is. But those are some examples of um sort of higher-end fashion brands dipping their toes into the world of soccer.
Speaker: So you've hit on everything from a contemporary standpoint. So as the OG in this conversation, there's another trend that's going on that I have a funny feeling you know something about.
Speaker: is really now the prominence of classic jerseys from the 80s and the 90s, my era. So what's your what's your observation on that?
Speaker: Yeah, I mean, for starters, the nostalgic... Yeah.
Speaker: ah prominent emotion right a lot of people have dressed in a sense to feel a certain way and i think ultimately whether that leads to a contemporary modern style or a nostalgic sort of vintage style it's deriving from the same roots um But yes, very much so. I mean, if you walk through New York now, you'll see classic football shirts, ah retail stores popping up that are selling old used vintage jerseys. You have Kappa track suits going online for...
Speaker: ridiculous amounts of money, right? And that both off signifies the ah demand, right, of the consumer to have this nostalgic jersey, this vintage jersey.
Speaker: But I think it also shows the appreciation for a certain time period in the sport. um And i don't want to go too in-depth into the soccering side of it, but there has been a long conversation about how the game has evolved in recent years with the evolution of analytics and becoming very sort of numbers-driven, efficiency-driven, maximizing um everything you can out of the game. And I think a lot of fans...
Speaker: feel this longing to return to the 90s, to the early 2000s, where the game was very emotional and free-flowing and creative. And there were lots of sort of long shots and and people really expressing themselves on the field.
Speaker: And I think that has to do, plays a role at least in that affinity towards the 90s aesthetics and the early 2000s jerseys that are incredibly popular um in in today's market.
Speaker: I don't pretend to be as fashion conscious as either of you, but what I'm hearing in all of this is definitely, you know, things about identity. And I think about what Max is talking about here, about this, you know, this fan nostalgia for the way the game used to be, right? Without video assistant referee, which is a, you know, technology that kind of tries to maximize and make everything more robotic. And I think that,
Speaker: You know, maybe the jersey is a little bit of a representation of that. And it's kind of this interesting paradox to me that I've just been sitting here thinking about, which is that a jersey is uniform, right? So in essence, like it's like a like a workplace. Everybody wears the same jersey like on a team.
Speaker: But when you think of people from a fashion standpoint, walking in the street and they're wearing a kit, it's a little bit actually funnily enough, on the other hand, to kind of stick out. And I think that's that's kind of interesting. And they're also sticking out for a reason, right? they're They're making that choice from an identity standpoint.
Speaker: They're showing, you know, Reginald today, i'm wearing a he's wearing a Brazil kit because, you know, he feels maybe he feels some type of affinity to the Brazilian national team like like so many people do, who who whether or not they are Brazilian. And I think it's...
Speaker: just kind of interesting to me hearing all this. and And when I look at the slides that Max was showing there and I was seeing Kylian Mbappe with Dior, you know, there's some kind of, you know, it's a two-way street. Like Dior says to themselves, why wow, like Mbappe for us, he maybe he represents something about Dior.
Speaker: And Mbappe too says, you know what, maybe Dior represents something about me. And I think that like, that's it's very cool to me, all of that. And um that to me is what I get interested in when I think about some of these fashion pieces is the questions of identity and what do what do people what are people representing? What are people standing for from ah from a cultural standpoint?
Speaker: um Whether that's the club that they represent or or the country they represent, or or even if it's the colors on a jersey, right? Like if you are... representing Jamaica, you're going to be, you know, really strong in your black, yellow, and and green colors.
Speaker: And for me, like, these types of these types of moments are super super fascinating, and and we've tried to be pretty conscious ourselves when it comes to to building the these jerseys for Reddick Football Club.
Speaker: Well, you both talked about, and Sasha, you just now, Culture, symbolism, representation. I'm totally botching this. I hope you guys save me.
Speaker: But there's a there's a local club, I believe it's Ireland or in Scotland, that literally is putting social, political messages on their kits.
Speaker: um They did one about immigration. Yeah, I should have shouldve had it written down. I think, does it have to do with the Irish, ah it's like an Irish rap group called Kneecap Yeah, yeah. Do you know I'm talking about? you know what club they do stuff I don't know what club specifically, but I do know, and I don't mean to cut you off with this question here, but that that has long been...
Speaker: a part of football in the global sense has been representing something larger than the game. And I think that's something that the American sports world maybe is less familiar with, is less familiar with a team representing a political party, representing a certain religious group, representing whatever it may be, as opposed to just being this city's team.
Speaker: um And in football, it's long been that. a lot of that has to do with just the history of the game and the fact that it is such an old game. um But teams do represent so much more than just the locale that they're playing in.
Speaker: um And that I think... oozes into the rationale for people to buy their jerseys, right? You have individuals who feel that connection, even though they may be thousands of miles across the world, right? They see the story that's being told by this football club and they say, I need to support this because it is me as well.
Speaker: And that jersey then becomes the way in which that person can support, can feel connected because maybe they can't go to games or maybe they're not able to watch the games because of a time zone or whatever it may be.
Speaker: now that Jersey is the driving connector between that football club and that individual who feels the identity is shared. So i I did just look it up, Reginald and kneecap are doing their own, I think their own version of the Ireland national team Jersey. I'm not sure if Ireland actually adopted it formally and officially, but like they are doing an iteration of it. And I, I remember seeing that somewhere too.
Speaker: um, But to to both the points that you guys are saying, sort of bringing up is, you know, it's it's really hammering at home is like, the question is like, why a football club? Like, why are people so all over the world, more than anything else, so obsessed with their local football club?
Speaker: And it goes back to that question, Reginald, just because every single one of them, particularly, i mean, outside of the U.S. and in the U.S. too, but just not on the same degree or scale. And if we wanted to talk about that alone, we could be here for four hours.
Speaker: But um it's because they represent they represent their community socially, politically, culturally, economically. They're really important and they're tied to to the community. That's why you know fans are obsessed with their football club all over the planet. And um there's a little bit of a problem in American sports as to why you I don't think you have that degree of of fervent passion and that real...
Speaker: hie you to the club that's as strong as you have in a lot of other places. Part of why we created this football club um is because we believe in our mission, but that's ah as a conversation for another time. It may be this time. we'll We'll figure it out.
Speaker: Asks of both of you individually, though, was the first soccer jersey you copped?
Speaker: See, this is a great question because I have to rack my brain through the thousands of jerseys and the um my god like too many dollars spent on jerseys. You've got that many jerseys? No, i'm I'm definitely exaggerating there, but I like to think not supposed to a thousand. but Um, I will, the story that comes to my mind is not necessarily something that I purchased myself, but is something that I hold true, um or close to me as ah memory of mine, but also in early,
Speaker: a starter, I would say, in my affinity towards not only just jerseys, but the game itself. um My cousins, who I'm half Japanese, they live in in Japan. I don't have a lot of contact with them and don't speak the same language. So it sometimes can be a little difficult to have those conversations with them. And one of the earliest...
Speaker: conversations and presence I received from them was both a national team jersey, so a Japanese national team jersey, as well as a Celtic jersey. um And Celtic, at the time, were one of the few teams in the world, and actually currently, they've sort of gone in a cyclical nature here, but they...
Speaker: opened their doors to not just Japanese players, but a lot of Asian players in general. um And in the world game, that is not as prevalent and certainly was not as prevalent at the time.
Speaker: Now it's obviously more of a globalized game. But at the time, a Japanese player playing in one of the tops top leagues in in Europe was sort of unheard of. So it was natural for my cousins to say, hey, we're getting him a Celtic jersey, even though they live thousands if upon thousands of miles away and can't even watch a game because of time zones or whatever it may be. And i as well live thousands of miles away from the Celtic park.
Speaker: Um, But at the same time, there was that connection because Nakamura, who was at the time sort of the pinnacle of Japanese ah soccer, he played at Celtic. So it was the Japanese jersey to represent my identity and my sort of family, as well as the Celtic jersey to also at the same time represent my identity and my family.
Speaker: And I think it just goes to the points we you were just talking about where those two should not have any connection in in a logical sense. And at the same time, they were given to the same individual for the same purpose.
Speaker: And that was to represent me and to be an example of who I am. So I know I didn't purchase it, so maybe I'm copping out of that. No, no, no, no, no. It's utterly significant and a beautiful story.
Speaker: I feel sorry for Sasha because now he's up next.
Speaker: Um, my my earliest memories in a Jersey, I think would have to be a Brazil Jersey, not the one Reginald's wearing, but something similar to it.
Speaker: And I just have still these pictures of me as a kid when I was wearing it. And that's my, one of my, one of my biggest memories. My other one would have to be probably, it probably was a Chelsea football club Jersey. It's my dad's best mate is have been a massive Chelsea supporter since the 1960s and a real fan sometimes hates their own club and so I've gone through some periods of of hating Chelsea in the last few years but that's only comes from a place of of real deep love but my my one of my other childhood memories I think when it comes to jerseys is and this story might make you guys laugh is
Speaker: um My mom, like before my sister and I would be going to school when we were really little, like, you know, six years old and four years old. She was two years younger than me. um She would put out like what is that we were going to be wearing the next day.
Speaker: and And think she put out maybe like sometimes would put out like a like a i don't know, some kind of dress or something for my sister to wear. And i would like, once everyone's gone to sleep, I would take her dress and I would just chuck it back in the laundry and I'd put out a football kit for her because i want i wanted to have a brother so bad. And and um And she definitely was a bit of a tomboy growing up, as they as I say.
Speaker: And um I remember always remember that story. And it's one that always comes up, just like wanting to be wanting to go to school in a football kit with my sister every every day. And I remember, I think I was, I don't remember what jersey I was putting out for her, but...
Speaker: those are Those are some of my Jersey memories. But to your point, Reg, about you you know the socio-political messaging around these clubs, and I'm glad Max brought up Celtic specifically. I mean, Celtic is is huge for that. you know There's this there' this club in from Glasgow in Scotland, and they've been one of probably the strongest club in in Scotland for a ah ah while now, and they're brilliant for that kind of thing. And they're originally Irish, um so it's kind of a really interesting sort of history there And it just had me thinking about this kind of nice circle between you bringing up kneecap and the Ireland national team and then, you know, Max talking about his sort of Japanese connection with Celtic as well. And I just thought all those different storylines was was pretty interesting.
Speaker: Well, we have another interesting storyline for the listeners and the viewers to delve into. And it's what you're creating across town for me.
Speaker: Red Hook Football Club, aka Red Hook FC. So why don't you tell me and tell the audience more importantly, what is it like satorily to make a decision on jerseys for your club.
Speaker: didn't know what the word satorily means before I can answer that one. Clothing, a fashion of clothing.
Speaker: So yeah I believe, and for the viewers, they can check it out. But for the listeners, these gentlemen have two jerseys on. Sasha has a red and black iteration.
Speaker: And Max has a red and white iteration. So how does one, when starting a club, decide what their kit, what their jerseys, what their sweaters are going to represent?
Speaker: Yeah, I mean, I think the first step is to understand what the club represents, right? And to understand what is the goal and the mission of the club? Why are we doing this? And to answer that, I think I'm going to pass it over to Sasha here because he's got the founding story, right? Of why Red Hook FC?
Speaker: Why are we doing this? And I think that will give the context needed to then understand the decisions, specifically speaking to the jerseys. Max, I'm also going to need your help with that, um you know, the the colors page. I think that might be nice.
Speaker: um Yeah, i i mean, this we can get into the story of founding the club a little later because I know we're talking a bit about the the jersey choices um and the colors. um You know what I'm talking about, that piece?
Speaker: And... and
Speaker: You know, when you think of Red Hook, it literally has the word red in it. So you'd be, I think, from from a branding standpoint, to not have the club b have some red in it, i think you'd be a little remiss.
Speaker: Let's make them yellow. Yeah. So, you know, it it started from that point. And and I think, you know, we're we're but we were building a football club. We built a football club and we're still building a football club from scratch here.
Speaker: And I just thought to myself, and and we spoke with, you know, with Rob Carter, who's who's the one who designed the logo for the club, who's actually not on... the podcast with us right now, but is the the man who designed the logo and um is was so important to all choices, stylistic and branding-wise and creative-wise for the club and is such a brilliant guy that we're lucky to have as part of the you know the so-called committee or group of ultras, supporters who who are building the club.
Speaker: And He and I were speaking and and Max was speaking as we were building this and with a few others that are that are part of the the group. And it was like, okay, well, let's make something super tough.
Speaker: Like what is gonna look really cool? Like what are some colors that we come out and we're like, okay, that's that's cool. And so we were like, all right, well, we like red and we like black and those like to to to answer those bits. And, you know, we thought that those were, so you know, ah really a way to to kind of stand out. And so with ah the the club colors have been adopted a bit as red and black and and white and and a little bit gold and yellow too. And, and, you know, ah once we, you know, once we kind of originally started with, okay, red and black seems to make sense.
Speaker: was doing a bit of research because one of the elements of the club is we do have this social justice ethos that runs through us. And I think that that's important for, and you see it with a lot of football clubs. And, and, and I think that's important for any community organization.
Speaker: Um, and I did a bit of research. was like, okay, who was, who are the first people that were living in Red Hook? The first people that were living in Red Oak was the Lenape tribe.
Speaker: i was doing a little bit of research about the Lenape tribe and it turned out that their lucky or traditional main colors were red and black. And I was like, you've got to be kidding me. So the instinct, the gut feeling was right and it just has to be around that. And you know you need a few other colors to to to round out a badge and to do a little more. So we added, so it's a little bit red, black and white. And there's clubs in the world like you know AC Milan's one that's red, black, and white. And there's some other great clubs and in in South America too that have that colorway. And so then we kind of went with that. And then there's a little bit of an explanation here on this page about, you know, from Rob, the one who did do the the different logo bits.
Speaker: You know, he talks about the sun rays. If you count them, there's actually 11 of them um for the 11 players that start every game. And I think that was a nice ah was a nice touch. And you can see the waterline, um which, you know,
Speaker: pays tribute to to to Hurricane Sandy and and what took place in Reddit particularly. um Then, obviously, there's the Red Hook. And that part was kind of funny to me because that that was like, that was ah it's it's it's it's obvious, but it's a no-brainer.
Speaker: and and is and is And is key because it's already such a massive part of Red Hook's identity, that sort of that that that symbol. um It makes me think of, mean, it's a different sport, but if you think of the New Orleans Saints and that Saint symbol, you can you know that's all around New Orleans.
Speaker: And I think that like it's one of those where if it ain't broke, don't try and fix it. And so, you know, we saw that a little bit. um I'm not sure if Max wants to touch on more. I know now we're delving into the logo, but there was all sorts of stylistic choices.
Speaker: let's go start i remember when Rob made the first one. Rob's an Arsenal supporter. And the first one looked a lot like Arsenal. And we were just like, Rob, it looks a little tough. It looks too much like Arsenal. We're sensing a mirror image, Rob. Just switch it up. We were laughing.
Speaker: Yeah, yeah. i mean, I can touch on ah a little bit more specifically on the jerseys here. um So just really quickly, I'll i'll go into the sort of product timeline, um and then I'll go into the specifics behind the design elements there.
Speaker: Please. Just so you can see for the visual um viewers here, There's a timeline on screen if those are listening. This idea essentially started in in the new year, um started in about January in, okay, we're playing in the spring. We need to have jerseys that represent this club, who we are and what we want to become.
Speaker: So the jersey concept started in in January, was sort of an addition um an initial ideation phase, right? Brainstorming, we're talking lot about colorways, we're talking a lot about ways we can represent who we are.
Speaker: Right. And so we we basically ended that phase by coming down to this sort of color palettes, honing in on our our central logo, honing in on some of the themes that we wanted to come across in our garments.
Speaker: um At the end of the month, we went into the more specifics. So this is the actual mockup phase looking at the actual garment itself. How are these elements being placed? Where are they being placed?
Speaker: What do they look like on the garment? That obviously ends into a final mock-up and into the communication with manufacturers, working with different manufacturers, figuring out who is going to be best suited for our needs.
Speaker: Then that comes with the jersey order and into the record shop launch party, which is we did a launch party for all three of our jerseys at the record shop. And I'm sure we'll touch on it in a little bit, given the significance of this podcast and the record shop launch party.
Speaker: Okay. But that ended into sort of a creative campaigns and then now into the season that we are currently in where the players are obviously wearing the jerseys.
Speaker: So as you can see here, this is the product. There are three different jerseys, one being red and black is our home jersey, white with that red accent as our away. And then our third kit, um goalkeeper kit, whatever you may call it, being this black with the red collar element there. So Zooming out a little, we've touched on the colors here.
Speaker: The key center colors, so the red and black, based in that Lenape tribe but ceremonial colors, right? So it representing the original settlers, the original natives to the Red Hook land, right? To pay homage to them as a club that is centered in social justice feels natural and feels correct.
Speaker: So these are the sort of driving force behind the colors, as well as the gold to represent the sort of signs of new hope and prosperity that immigrants would feel while coming into New York.
Speaker: So obviously New York being ah city that is... heavily influenced by immigration felt necessary to include it, especially with Red Hook being one of the first visual cues that you are entering New York via the water um felt only natural. So to go into the home jersey, it felt right to use the red and black as our home jersey, as opposed to the white and red, in part because we were representing the Lenape tribe, representing Red Hook,
Speaker: only feels natural to wear that at home right so we have that feeling of we are playing at home we are representing the home team we are representing the settlers the original um people in red hook as well as the current community so as you can see there are multiple different designs here i won't spend too much time and bore all of the listeners here but the original design to go off of the lenape tribe even further featured a semi sort of scarf design through the center.
Speaker: And that was to, again, pay homage to the Lenape tribe, but more specifically to focus in on the significance of scarves as a garment in their traditions. So was very traditional for individuals to wear the scarf at ceremonies as sort of a festive, ah more formal, I guess you could say,
Speaker: garment um I guess if you're dressing up, you would throw the scarf on. So the original design came from what does that scarf look like in the red and black colorway. We didn't love it, didn't love what that looked like on a jersey, um but we liked the sort of element there.
Speaker: The other sort of initial stamp starting point was to include some sort of stripe element to represent the Brooklyn Bridge and the iconic wiring in the Brooklyn Bridge. So obviously went from the initial sort of curvature of the wiring on the bridge.
Speaker: We realized that might look a little funny on the jersey, went to just vertical stripes, thought, how does this look on a kit? And that incorporated that sort of yellowy colorway of the Brooklyn Bridge as well.
Speaker: We liked it, but did it it didn't necessarily entirely represent who we were and what we wanted. We tried some sort of horizontal stripe elements. As you can see, we ended up liking it enough to keep it on a third kit there, um but not for the home jersey.
Speaker: um And then eventually we went back to sort of that scarf idea. but decided, okay, maybe we make it more of a center stripe um to sort of represent the scarf, but also just aesthetically to be more clean, more sort of straight lines.
Speaker: Initially drawing inspiration from your I-axis of the world. If you're familiar with I-axis Jersey, they're very traditional in their sense of keeping that white and red with that center stripe that they've done forever.
Speaker: um And we really liked that. So that was sort of the first point where we're like, okay, we're getting close. Some small changes needed on there. We wanted to move the badge from the center that like IX has, PSG has on a similar style.
Speaker: We felt as though the badge needed to be above the heart, needed to represent the passion and emotion that comes with wearing the football kit to have the badge right above the heart scene to signify that the closest.
Speaker: um So as you can see, this is essentially a mock-up of our final performance. um kit that Sasha is so beautifully wearing to the right of me. um So like I mentioned, the badge signifying the importance of sort of emotion and passion needed in all endeavors, but especially in sport, especially in soccer.
Speaker: The center stripe, like I mentioned, is to pay homage to that scarf um design, what a scarf would look like when wearing it. the little The little gold touches on the sleeves are not actually in this kit, though. I was worried we would look too much like the Belgium national team with those. So we that's just pure red.
Speaker: and very red i mean, one of the things, you know, we we we drew inspiration, of course, from other clubs and and things that we've learned over time. But, you know, another major thing is like, oh, geez, like a lot of these ideas have been taken.
Speaker: Like finding a way to have our own... like kit that wasn't look like we look at one be Oh geez, this looks too much like PSG. but Oh geez, this looks too much like X. Like that's a problem. Like we can't have people looking at our kit and being like, Oh, are you guys? And like, we need to, you know, we are we're our own club.
Speaker: And for sure we've, we've used so many ideas and inspiration from these amazing storied historic clubs that have come before us. Um, And even some of the younger American clubs that I that i that i do respect and and really admire um here in the States. There's a couple that I i like in particular.
Speaker: um And they're called Detroit City FC is one of them. And, you know, we've taken ideas from some of these other places. and um But coming up with your own one, it's like, oh, man.
Speaker: But Max... Max, he's making it sound like it was a pretty, you know, so systematic way of going through the kits. I remember it was like, we were pretty much like we'd set deadline because we needed the kits, you know, you just need them to be ready.
Speaker: And ahead of for the season, before the season. And I remember we were like, we started with a couple iterations of the home in a way. And Max and Phineas and Rob, these guys are like, you know, you're brilliant creatives.
Speaker: And I was just like, you know, I know this is not my strength compared to you guys. I was like, you guys go. And then when they came back from some kits and I was like, but nobody quite felt ready to go with them.
Speaker: I was like, okay, let's, i'm good we're going to, I'm going to apply some pressuring. yeah and be like, let's go, let's make a decision. We got to do it. And um anyway, I'll let Max keep going through the awake away kits. But I just remember we started the way the place we started with all these different ideas, like they're great and they look cool all next to each other. But at the end of the day you can only pick one Right. You can pick one for home. You can only pick one for a away.
Speaker: And they need to be if they're too similar. That's just weird. Right. And so you just need them to be like different enough, but also have some type of synergy between them from a color standpoint.
Speaker: um And I just remember us. The place that we started the conversation that morning for what we thought the home and a away jersey was going to be to where it finished two out two and a half to three hours later was like, wow, like like which is this is great. This two hour and a half conversation where we where we finished up.
Speaker: were We were feeling pretty good that day, I remember. Most definitely. And the only other element I want to touch on on, and this remains true across all of our jerseys, is the font that we chose as well as the color. So the color matches our gold in the crest, like I mentioned, to signify um That feeling of hope and new beginnings that is so important to America, but also to New York specifically.
Speaker: And then the actual font itself um represents and is very similar to the font used on a lot of the shipping containers in Red Hook. Mm-hmm. the shipping containers and we'll touch on this in a little play a large role in and have played a large role in the red hook community um historically being one of the if not the most trafficked uh port in in the country in new york um we felt as though we needed to to represent that in some way and so that is where the font came from the style of it matching
Speaker: the way that they would label the shipping containers and such. Well, it was, it was super popular as a port. And then in the, basically in the, in the, after the 19th century, that changed in 20th century, it's Newark that had everything coming through it and, uh, and not Red Hook.
Speaker: Um, but we'll see how things change in the, in the coming, in the coming years, back to the geopolitical bits that you were mentioning, Reg. And then I'll go quickly through this because I know I'm um just spewing a lot of information at you guys. But our away jersey, so that was our home jersey conversation. We came down to our ah red and black jersey. We wanted that at home. And then we thought, okay, what are we wearing away?
Speaker: And we started with and inspiration drawing inspiration from the New York Metro Stars being the original MLS franchise in New York, now renamed and commonly known as the New York Red Bulls. Red Bulls.
Speaker: And they have, in my opinion, some of the most... beautiful jerseys from their early conceptions. These sort of white kits with this black and yellow red stripe situation, i think look beautiful.
Speaker: um So I really wanted to incorporate some sort of that at the start. but Obviously we ended up going in a very different direction and towards the end, but that was the the conception, the original sort of inspiration.
Speaker: um And we battled a lot with white being the sort of negative space, what colors do we use to accentuate that white um without being too similar to jerseys that are out there, clubs that are out there, national teams that are out there.
Speaker: um And so in some of our iterations, we felt as though we were, like Sasha mentioned, mimicking too much of, say, the German flag or the sort of Belgian jerseys. And we wanted to steer clear of that. So we ended up shifting away from this red, black, gold stripe idea and moving more towards a primarily white jersey with red accents.
Speaker: um And that is the sort of foundation for the jersey that we then created. So with the white being the base and the red ah accentuating it, um we came up with the red being the shoulder element with a white, ah primarily white front and back.
Speaker: um Like I mentioned, the colors continuing that the color scheme and remaining true to the brand and the brand identity that we're trying to create. um But opposed to having a center stripe here, we went with um an inlay on the jersey. So if you can see it, you can see it here. If not, I'll describe it very quickly.
Speaker: um We took inspiration from early drawings and early um photographs. This one was actually a drawing of a lot of dock workers working um in Brooklyn. So it is obviously again paying homage to the port of Red Hook and what that meant for the community in its earliest days.
Speaker: But obviously now being less prevalent in the community, we still wanted to have an element of it, but not have it be sort of the only element. So it's an inlay on the white jersey to sort of represent it. The other thing that we included in that inlay were the shipping um cranes, which you can see if you are in Red Hook out on the water,
Speaker: They're a very iconic large machines, very hard to miss. um And we wanted to include that to again, tie back in the choice of font, the choice of the hook, the choice of community.
Speaker: um And to have this this sort of shipping crane represent that as well. The other element in the decision was these are our away jerseys. So primarily we are wearing them away from home.
Speaker: um And what does that mean is how can we bring home with us on those away days? And part of that was the inspiration in having this inlay on the jersey. To say, hey, we may be playing in Long Island. We may be playing in upstate New York. Wherever it is, we are carrying Red Hook with us on that away trip physically with our jerseys, but also in spirit through fans, through just the the community as a whole.
Speaker: Well, making it to a national championship, we could play in California. and Exactly. Yeah, we could play all over. To Max's point and and to Reg's point, you know, it's when you look it it ties everything, right? This kit, it talks it shows history, right? It shows the identity of Red Hook with the with the with the shipping cranes.
Speaker: um You know, it has the Brooklyn Bridge on the other side. There's always been a little bit of of that kind of tension um between r like but not... pitting Red Hook against Brooklyn or anything like that. But there's there's the there's that there that piece of identity. And if you even follow the the kit, you literally would, you know, you'd get from the Brooklyn Bridge to the shipping cranes like that from a geographic standpoint if you needed to get from one to the other. So it it all is pretty fitting. And Max, that was pretty poetic, the bit about the, you're taking home with us and waiting. Always. You never told me that one. There's a lot going on up here.
Speaker: Sometimes. Sometimes at least. And then really quick, because again, I know I'm spitting a lot at you, but our third kit I think is worth mentioning, um especially as it ties directly, in my opinion, to your previous point, Reginald, about the nostalgic jerseys and the resurgence of era jerseys.
Speaker: ara jerseys When I think of that time, i think of baggy jerseys. i think of collars. i think of long sleeves. And those emotions and and ideas we wanted to include somewhere in our kits, what better place to do it on a third kit, right, as that sort of alternate option?
Speaker: So we went with a collar for this one to be a little bit more formal, I guess you could say, but also to pay homage to that sort of nostalgic feel of those jerseys.
Speaker: The baggy feel, like I mentioned, with the collar there was very iconic to the 90s, early 2000s. So we definitely wanted to include that on one of our three renditions. And then this is the one that carried on the stripe idea because clearly it it stayed true across all of our mockups and it didn't make it onto the other two. So it felt natural to make it onto the third.
Speaker: And we went with the horizontal stripes, a lot of it for aesthetic, right? But then into the vertical stripes on the sleeve. um As when you're wearing it, it's very seamless. It feels as though the stripes are going across the entire garment.
Speaker: as opposed to breaking on the armpit, for instance, and then continuing over on the sleeve was an option that we had decided. But we ended up going with this sort of continual line feeling, um deriving again from the Brooklyn Bridge wiring um as as the original sort of idea behind the stripes.
Speaker: Obviously, these are... parallel stripes that do not hold up any bridge and have no structural significance so there's a little bit more of an aesthetic choice at the very end for what type of stripe to go with there look at these guys in their sunglasses man
Speaker: For anyone just listening, there is an image of Max, and I would assume... Another Max. Another guy called Max, actually. no Okay, another Max.
Speaker: And they've got a they got some cool sunglasses as they're leaning up against the fence. That's what football clubs do. They're just ready to ready to beat up anyone.
Speaker: That's pretty much what they're about. a question I have for both of you. You took a lot of time to determine the vision for these jerseys.
Speaker: It's very clear. And I think the listeners and the viewers are really going to get a treat out of that. How do you players feel when they enter the pitch having this on their backs?
Speaker: mean, I think in part, the goal is to have them feel the sense of community that we want to promote through the club, but want to champion through our our garments, right? So we that's ah the main thing that I really hope all of the players feel when they put it on is first off, a sense of pride towards the club, towards the community, towards the color scheme, towards the badge, and But also a sense of community that they're putting on a jersey that represents something larger than themselves, right? That gives them a sense of community that they can hold onto to regardless of where they're from, regardless of what their current situation may be outside of the pitch, right? So when they put on, for instance, the away jersey and they go play in Long Island, they are putting on a piece of of the Red Hook community. They're carrying that with them.
Speaker: And thus they are representing a much greater community than just themselves, than just the 18 that may be fielded for that day. um So that's what I think the players feel and I hope the players feel when they when they put on each and every one of our our jerseys.
Speaker: I feel like we're edging closer here to the story of the of the club. And um I know, ma Max, you've heard some bits. What have the guys said when they, like, I just know that they've been like, damn, these are tough. These look good.
Speaker: But I think that, like, when I think of any team that I've ever played for, and i and I played for this, for Red Hook Football Club in its first two seasons, and I'm not currently playing for the team right now because the amount of work that it takes to to to run the team, um...
Speaker: You know, when I think of any club I've ever played for, right? I was a one-club man in New York City. I played for my club here called Downtown United from age four or five all the way through. um Max actually did two. And I think, when did what age did you join the club there? Like 11, 10, 11s.
Speaker: And so we're guys who have spent, you know, these days it's a little rare to find ah someone around our age or or younger who, you you know, stayed all the way through at a club, right? Spent, you know,
Speaker: 18 years at a club is how much I spent at dusk. I mean, it's, it's that's a, that's love right there. And there's other teams, other clubs I could have, you know, could have gone to. and And, but, you know, there's some things that are there. And for me, that's what football club's about. it's It's the love you have for it. It's the passion you have for it. So when someone puts on our kit, whether you're a supporter or you're a player, you know, you're representing this this this this team of love, to be honest.
Speaker: and And you're representing Red Hook and you're representing Brooklyn and you're representing new York City and you're representing, you know, a group of You're representing the outsiders. we say We started the bottom tier as a club and back-to-back promotions to now be in the highest semi-pro team.
Speaker: ah You're representing a club that's beating the odds. You're representing a club that really believes in fate. you're you know You're representing a club and a group of players that when... when ah When things were tough and things were looking like they were going to maybe hit the fan in September, they didn't.
Speaker: The guys buckled down. you know Everyone who was involved and got promoted to what is now the highest semi-pro tier. you know It all looks like Sunshine and Rainbows and Daisies now being in the highest semi-pro tier, but it's it's this it isn't it is a struggle sometimes, right? Running the club and making it happen. and and there's you know There's a big dream to make the next step up to become a pro team, but you know, you're representing a lot of hard work and hours putting into this and you're representing guys that care about each other.
Speaker: So, you know, when I think of the club that I played for it, that was dusk, you know, I would, I would die on that pitch for the people next to me and for the coach. And it's the same with the the club at the, at the team that I played for in Scotland as well. Cause part of my, you know, knowledge of football clubs and all that was based on the fact that I, that I was lucky to live in Scotland for four years and I'd play over there.
Speaker: um So that's, I think, what it represents when you put on this kit. And and the colors, you know, it it matches Red Hook and, you know, obviously the piece about taking home with you when you go and play away. But that's what I that's what i think it represents. And it you know what else it represents? It represents all the other football clubs out there that I think are striving to be to be honest and true and help it's helped you know help each other and and to really be, you know, a people's club.
Speaker: um There was a lot of, you know, there's i I think there's a I think there's a bit of a spiritual connection or energy with with this club in Liverpool called Everton Football Club um because they're a phenomenal club when it comes to what they do for the community. They're one of the oldest clubs in in football history. right They're founded in 1878. That's why they're actually sometimes nicknamed the eighteen seventy eight s um And so I think that's what it represents when you put on the Red FC kit is you represent a club that a lot of people love and a lot of people are working towards trying to do something special.
Speaker: And it's a club where, you know, things like bravery matter, loyalty matters, you know, where where good communication between people matters, you know, the the types of good values that you hope, you know, people ah are brought up with. I think that's what it represents.
Speaker: There's nothing else to say. Let's go to the lightning round, gentlemen. Why is fashion important? Fashion is important for a lot of reasons. One of which, it is a visual representation of who you are.
Speaker: um And yes, it is important to be yourself and not necessarily, i don't want to say not care, because I think that has a negative connotation, but to not be bothered by what others are thinking of you.
Speaker: But at the same time, it is a way for you to express who you really are and who you wanna be, right? So you can put on, and I'm sure you felt this, Reginald, I felt this, and I would like to think all of the listeners have felt this. When you put on a certain article of clothing, whatever it may be, you feel a different way.
Speaker: You feel a certain way about the way you carry yourself, whether it's now I'm in a suit and I feel professional and I'm ready to take on the world, or I put on a jersey and I feel like I've got an army of fans behind me.
Speaker: Whatever it may be, that garment is then evoking those emotions in you. um And it is almost like a manifestation of what you want to become. So I think that in a long-winded way is why fashion is so important.
Speaker: um is because it is your way of expressing yourself and and being free and being true to who you are in a very physical way.
Speaker: What difference has fashion made in your life, gentlemen?
Speaker: A big difference but for me. i think it's... It's done a lot of things for me as as a person in how confident I am in who I am. um I think oftentimes you hear the saying, right? Like, look good, play good, look good, feel good, all of those, whatever the ending you want to add on to that.
Speaker: And I couldn't think that that is more true. um And that is why it's been so important to me is it has given me an avenue to express myself, like I mentioned, but also to cement my confidence in who I am as as a man, as a person, as a friend, as a son, as a whatever identity you want to throw in there.
Speaker: um And that, to me, is so powerful. um And I think oftentimes underappreciated.
Speaker: I think it's sometimes I think about that the choices that I'm making, you know, they they shouldn't just be representing...
Speaker: me in a way that I want to be represented, hopefully they're representing others too. And maybe that there's a sense of responsibility in what it is that I'm wearing and I'm wearing it, not necessarily for myself, but also because it's sending some kind of message, right? And as I'm talking specifically maybe about the football club here, or maybe not, maybe I'm talking about friendships or family, but maybe it's representing something to them about what it is that I'm whether that's what I'm feeling or whether that's what I'm wanting to take responsibility for.
Speaker: Like you are taking responsibility when you put on that, you know, if you put on a pair of jeans, you're taking that responsibility to put that, you know, to make that decision, to put them on. And I think that like whatever, whatever decision it makes, whether that's the football club jersey that you're putting on, you're like, you're taking ownership of what, of the message that you're sending out to others. And I think that that's something that I never,
Speaker: thought about quite as consciously as I have maybe in the last few months, but subconsciously, I probably used to think about that. and i'll And I'll make the point that in the in the club that I played for in Scotland, home and away, you had to go suit and tie to every game, right? And it was like, that was the requirement for everyone to do that. And if you ever forgot your tie or you didn't do that, you know, I definitely felt a sense of I mean, i don't want to go so strong as to say someone's being disloyal for forgetting to put on a tie.
Speaker: But like, you have a responsibility to the club that the agreement is you're going to travel in suit and tie to the game and back. And you're representing something when you're doing that. You know, you're showing a level of maybe professionalism or seriousness, whatever you want to call it.
Speaker: And I think that that's kind of what I think about when I think about why fashion is important. Is it because of what it can represent from ah cultural standpoint, from an identity standpoint, whatever it represents. I think that those, that's to me is why fashion is important. and
Speaker: What's the top fashion tip you would give the everyday man to look his best? Max can handle this. Um, top fashion tip outside of the cliche answer of, of be yourself and, and wear what you want.
Speaker: Cause ultimately you're the only one who can feel a certain way because of that garment. Um, I think a tip for me is to think of, to think holistically and not individually.
Speaker: And I think that applies to life in general, but in particular to the outfit you're wearing. If you can think about it as a as a one, think about it as an outfit, as opposed to, I love this shirt.
Speaker: I'm gonna wear this shirt and then I'll just put on everything else, right? And it may start with that. It may start with, these are the jeans I wanna wear today, right? And that then turns into the full outfit. But at the end of the day, to me,
Speaker: If you are thinking holistically, then you are putting together an outfit that represents you in in its entirety. And as it's perceived by others, right, who just walk by you, they see it as a one. They see it as a whole.
Speaker: And so if you, to me, if you think holistically in your approach to dress... you will then be able to represent yourself fully um and get across the whatever the rationale or the the motivation it is for you to wear whatever it is you're wearing.
Speaker: um So maybe that's not too specific as a tip, but ah it's a very broad idea towards towards dressing. I've got some specific specific tips. Get yourself in red, black, white, and gold.
Speaker: There you go. Get your Cup of Reddick logo right here. but but but Do that. get and Put it wherever you want. to Get the red. i'm going Wow. Shameless plug.
Speaker: Last question, gentlemen. What does the term always be fly mean to you?
Speaker: i think it's, it goes beyond just clothing. think oftentimes you think of always be fly, or at least I think of always be fly. And it's like a very literal sense of, like what you are wearing. And I think that is very true. But in the same sense, it's a way you carry yourself. It's the way you express yourself. It's the way you interact with others.
Speaker: And you can be fly in all of those, right? Like you can be both dressed in ah in a very fly way, quote unquote, or you can And you can, I should say, approach conversations, approach relationships from a very, very fly, smooth, whatever cool way that you want.
Speaker: um So that is what it means to me is it's a more of a, I don't wanna be as cheesy as say it's a lifestyle, but I'm gonna double down and say it's a lifestyle um to be to bef fly outside of just garments and into every every element of life.
Speaker: I think it's be your baddest self, but also be balanced because you're going to fall from grace sometimes, right? Like you're just going to. And so like, that's okay.
Speaker: And just make sure that you're not, just don't, you know, be balanced. Don't be too dramatic in one way or another. Like you can be dramatic. I love drama. Don't get me off. But I mean that like, don't, um,
Speaker: Yeah, don't, don't, maybe, yeah, maybe sometimes, maybe don't, don't, don't push or try too hard sometimes if like, it's clear that, that you need to just chill out and be a little balanced, I think.
Speaker: I'm not saying don't work hard. i Do that. If you really have it in your heart, you need to go and do it. But like, if you can, um you know, remember to be balanced, if clearly something's not working out or if you're clearly tripping, emotionally speaking, then just like, you know, be balanced. I think is, I like that one.
Speaker: Max, Sasha of Red Hood Football Club. Thank you so much. Thank you. Really appreciate you inviting us into this sacred space and allowing us to speak endlessly about both our jerseys, but this club as a whole as well.
Speaker: Thank you, Reg. See you on the pitch.
Speaker: See at the next game. So we learned from Sasha and Max, the influence soccer and specifically soccer jerseys have on street wear.
Speaker: We learned about collabs and more importantly, we learned what it takes to design and create a jersey, kit. Who knew that it would take so much research, especially to make sure you weren't accidentally copying something that's been done before?
Speaker: Design and having a designer are important. So is doing research. You can find Red Hook FC on Instagram at Red Hook FC.
Speaker: If you want to level up your soccer jersey game, then let's make it happen. Take initiative and become fashion confident in 30 days. All you have to do is email me at reg at nyfashiongeek.com for our consultation.
Speaker: Well, that's a wrap. To my team of interns, past and present, who have helped make the Fashion Geek Podcast what it is today, I thank Always be fly.
Speaker: Free audio post-production by alphonic.com.
