On Thursday, August 18, The Knockturnal previewed NFL Apparels Men’s, Women’s, and Juniors 2016-2017 collection. Held at the NFL Headquarters in New York City, the event introduced the 2016-2017 looks. I sat down with 3 big-name stylists behind the campaign to find out more about the collection.
Luis Rodriguez, NFL apparel stylist and contributing editor to Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, ELLE and GQ.
Luis Rodriguez styled the likes of Keke Palmer and Adrienne Bailon for the NFL Apparel campaign.
“I had never worked with the NFL Campaign but I worked on the women’s campaign. It’s so funny, I bought Vogue yesterday and I was flipping through it and I go “Wait a minute, I did that!( chuckles.)” What we’re really trying to do, or what NFL is promoting this season is that your team Jersey or t-shirt or whatever is just not about wearing it for the game, it’s about mixing it in with fashion and wearing it everyday, year round. I’m sure your aware of the strong athletic look in clothing, whether it’s in the materials or the actual look of the pieces. So that’s what we’re trying to do (points to a mannequin dressed in Rag & Bone bomber with a sports jersey underneath and a pair of jeans.) We want to try and mix it up, you know, a T-Wang miniskirt, Helmut Lang jacket, and Dior sequence turtleneck, and put your big Jersey over it and then wear it out to a party. So it’s all about mixing it up and making it your own. The whole high-low thing in fashion that’s been going on for a while. Its about incorporating your team and NFL gear into it. I mean you go to any store now and they have so many athletic inspired t-shirts or pieces that are sold as fashion, so why not get the real thing and wear it and let it be something that means something to you, because it’s your team.”
(Points to short sleeve heather grey NFL apparel t-shirt) “If you were to wear this, I love layering and putting a shirt underneath like an all denim look, this look could be shopping on a fall Saturday or something. I also, love jerseys. What I love about the jerseys is buying them really big and wearing them oversized or wearing it with a narrow jean with flats or heels or wearing it as a dress with a choker to add that touch of femininity, that’s another important element of mixing it up between all boyish, that little touch of femininity works. So that’s what we’re suggesting with all this gear, you know this (point campaign add of Adriene Bailon sporting a tight blue football jersey and jeans.) This one you know she wore the style in her team I believe. It’s a little more, obvious day time but you can always make it super glitzy. This is super cute too because you can loosen it and get it off the shoulder” (points to red Arizona cardinals shirt with lace-up detail at the plunging open neckline.)
I grew up in Miami so the Miami Dolphins is my thing, but I’m not a big go to football games everyday person. So I’m seeing it more from a fashion perspective and less from a sports perspective, which I think is what it’s all about.” Sort of 70’s Ali Macgraw thing is big and here we go the knit cap with sort of the glitter, which I love.
One thing I love is the Levi stuff (displays Levi jacket with NFL team written on the back in a bold font, and flannel shirts with small team logos located on the pocket.) The Levi stuff with a skinny jean it’s very hipster let’s go to Brooklyn, the logos here but it’s a little more subtle. And again, I love these really oversized double XL shirts. What about love this stuff is in the past when people do sports wear targeted to women they’ll do the name of the team and add flowers around it or make the shirt in pink or lavender. For some reason, maybe because it’s men designing it they think “Oh the girl will love a little flower, or baby pink” And most girls are like I wouldn’t be caught dead in that. It’s like just make a boy’s shirt in a women size and just be cool. And that’s what they did with NFL Apparel, so I think that’s a plus too. “
What goes into your styling method?
“When styling someone I always go by personality, and try to push in a direction that’s really fashion forward and of-the-moment now but still something they would relate to. I think that’s what its really all about in fashion is personal style. Fashion is nice, it’s a reference point but it’s all about personal style. So that’s really what I do. Another thing I like is it’s mixed. Personally, I really don’t like when people are head-to toe in anything. Whether it be designer or color, mix it up whether it’s high-low. I also love if you’re doing something super feminine add a bit of masculinity to it and vice versa. At the end of the day if you look comfortable you look well dressed. And just have fun with it. Basically in essence that’s how I approach things.
Jace Lipstein, Founder CEO, and editor-in-chief of Grungy Gentleman; NFL Apparel Men’s Wear Stylist
“Our core messaging is to show that NFL apparel isn’t just for game day anymore, a lot of men wear their team on Sunday, on the coach, and we want to show that you can wear it every single day. Its transitional whether your going out with your friends or a loved one for dinner or just hanging out for the night, you can accomplish everything in NFL apparel.
So this is leisure meets city type of guy. Right over here we have our modern prep guy it’s sort of like New England for the winter and that’s why you see a chunky cardigan with colored Chinos and that type of vibe with the headley and trainers. Over here with the camo hoodie this is for a guy who’s probably going out for a night with the homies maybe, going out Friday night type of vibe. This is more of our office type of idea. This guy is wearing this to work and this might be a casual Friday look or what have you. The jets jean jacket is a collaboration with Levis it has their patch embroidered on the front and then it also has something on the back, so its pretty cool that they worked with Levi’s on it. Varsity destroyer jacket over here, which is pretty cool and you can dress that a bunch of different ways. And what’s really cool (showcases the back of the varsity jacket, that is decorated with 50 black stars and one gold star at the end.) is that last year was our 50th super bowl so the gold one is the 50th star.
We have a bunch of different items with Levis, Broncos, Seahawks. (Showcases long sleeve men’s black shirt with a faded grey football team logo on it.) This is the shirt you saw paired with the shirt and tie and a couple different teams. This is cool this is a t-shirt that I believe was bought in Khols and it goes to show NFL apparel doesn’t have to be 100% loud and proud anymore this shirt is more monotone and you can wear it a bunch of different ways whether under a bomber or a blazer and it doesn’t scream I’m going to a game or I’m an enormous fan boy. You don’t have to be 100% fan boy all the time. There are times for that too, but sometimes you want to be a little bit more understated and these clothes allow it.
Then you have your pieces that are just really casual and easy, that if you just put a white button down over it, it can be dressed up. We did that with Eric Decker with the jets and then with Charles Woodson who’s with the Raiders we put a black blazer over his t-shirt and then for Eric Decker we put a black bomber over it, so you can wear it a bunch of different ways and then of course alone as a tee, again it’s all about versatility and showing how it could be worn 7 days a week, that’s the primary focus.
The gentlemen I’ve worked with have been full of personality we worked with Von Miller from the Broncos Todd Gurley from the Rams and Eric Decker from the Jets and Charles Woodson who just retired he was on the raiders and packers. And each one of them were so different but yet so awesome. Von was full of personality, Todd really enjoyed the shoot he was a little younger and got to experience something on a high level it was new and it was awesome, Eric was the quintessential professional him and I were friends so it made it easier as far as being passionate about what we do and trying to get the best result and Charles was just class. You can’t teach fashion, so when your dressing gentlemen who are passionate about the same things you are, and that’s making an unbelievable product you get a great result . So it was pretty easy to be honest.
So you dress for different personalities?
“Absolutely you hit it right on the head, so Von Miller was our city meets Western gentlemen. Then you had Todd who’s more of a young guy, hip rock star, La market, but still understatement at the same time not too crazy but he’s still pretty cool and fly, still could pull off that little fedora feature. And then you have Eric who’s more classic all American, masculine. And then Charles, Charles just retired he’s moving to the next stage of his life and he’s dressing a little bit more professional he’s going to be an announcer for a football game and he’s also doing NFL primetime and countdown. They all have different styles and personalities but one common theme is they all were so excited about about NFL apparel and so willing to teach people that this is a lifestyle brand now not just only NFL apparel, so yeah it was a really great experience.”
What’s next?
“Our seasons kicking off so a lot of our assets that we shot with those for gentlemen that I spoke about right now, right now we’re currently in Men’s health magazine we have a two-page spread, we also have ESPN magazine, GQ coming out and then there’s a plethora of other assets that are going to roll out once the season starts. So this is all in preparation for kickoff we create the assets for this season while the gentlemen have time and now its time for them to focus on football and we’ll take care of the clothes (chuckles.)”
Tali- NFL Junior’s Collection stylist
What goes into styling the NFL junior collection?
“Basically I follow social media a lot because I want to get into the mind of a junior girl, since I’m a little bit over that age (chuckles.) I just see how much they’re influenced by the different fashionistas. We just try to show the different girls that there are, the one that’s more tomboy, one that’s more feminine and one that’s kind of both. They can wear these outfits when they’re out with their friends and at school and that’s really how we style it as a lifestyle that’s not specifically game based.
So this is my third company with the NFL Juniors. We’re always evolving, going out into the market and talking to the girls just to see who they’re idols are, because New York it’s like all of the older supermodels from the 90’s and in middle America they were giving us basketball players. So it’s so interesting to see and we have to keep that open mind because we’re New Yorkers but we’re delivering to the whole country. I feel like theres really a piece for every type of girl.
I think the biggest challenge would be I’ll style something and I’ll be like “Oh I would wear this”, but I’m a woman, or I might say “Oh this is a junior’s piece.” I think our generation today; age is determined so much by style. So that’s a challenging thing is where do we draw that line. the positive is that fashion never has an age.”
[slideshow]#NFLFanStyle
Photo credit: NFL
