Super Bowl LVI is this weekend, and the NFL is paying homage to Los Angeles, the game’s host city, in the most fitting way possible. No, the league isn’t staging a three-hour traffic jam on the 101. But it is working with four LA streetwear brands to release limited-edition apparel and merchandise capsules celebrating the city and the game.
Origins: An NFL Collection launched earlier this week, with each of the four LA-based brands—Circulate, Bricks and Wood, Bella Doña, and Rip N Repair—contributing its own capsule to the release. The designers essentially had carte blanche to create items that best represent their relationship to the city, the NFL and their own design sensibilities.
That resulted in a product lineup drastically different than one would find at a typical NFL team store, which was the league’s goal from the start.
“To become more authentically connected to our host cities, it was important for the NFL to find ways to collaborate more with local brands that are the fabric of the communities we are entering,” Eddie Capobianco, vice president of influencer marketing for the NFL, said in a press release. “With the launch of Origins: An NFL Collection, we now have an opportunity to do that by shining a spotlight on local talent and integrating them into how we commemorate NFL events, bringing their creative designs to our massive fanbase.”
Our collection with the @nfl is available now at https://t.co/kyRKBOOnps ! pic.twitter.com/KyewhqKdLM
— Circulate Worldwide (@circulate) February 7, 2022
The collection is mostly made up of T-shirts and hoodies, with a few other items (a tote, a mug, sweatpants) mixed in. Many of the items, like Circulate’s “Champions” tee and Bricks and Wood’s “Super Bowl LVI” hoodie, incorporate retro typefaces and throwback logos. Others, like Rip N Repair’s “Koreatown” designs, pay tribute to specific neighborhoods or LA landmarks.
Circulate even dug deep into NFL history for a design featuring Kenny Washington, a former Los Angeles Ram and the first African American player to sign an NFL contract. The T-shirt is made to look like a trading card, with an action shot of Washington on the front and various stats and information about his career on the reverse side.
“I was just like, ‘Yo, if I don’t know about [Washington] then there’s probably a ton of other people that need to know about this story and it needs to be told,” Corey Populus, founder of Circulate, told Complex. “It was really cool that I could incorporate that story into this collection, especially being a Black designer. Through Circulate, I always try to highlight Black people that have done amazing things for people like me to be here.”
Our collaboration with the @NFL for Super Bowl LVI will be available tomorrow 2/6 at 9AM PST for pre-order on our site.
We understand that unfortunately orders won’t be delivered in time to have by or for the game so for those who would just like to support this is for you. 🙏🏾 pic.twitter.com/geuknGw2Lp
— Bricks & Wood (@bricksandwood) February 5, 2022
The collection first went on sale at a launch event on February 6 that featured pop-up shops from each of the four brands. Fans who missed that event can still grab some gear at the NFL’s Super Bowl shop at the LA Convention Center up until game day, or at the NFL’s official online store.
