SGG Weekly: NHL Jerseys, MLB Uniforms, and WNBA Jackets - Oh My!
NHL Style Standouts, Beyoncé x Levis, NY Liberty x Off-White, and more.
Hi friends and strangers,
Happy October! Welcome to the month of Hallowe’en, a solar eclipse, Canadian Thanksgiving, the start of the NBA and NHL seasons, and the final culmination of fashion month in Paris today.
As the fashion and sports calendar fills up, there is much to discuss! Since I’ve noticed that readers seem to prefer a mix of concise commentary to solely in-depth nerdy analysis, this week’s newsletter structure is slightly different. We’ll focus on various hits from the last week or so in sports, style, and, whenever possible - the sustainable quotient that connects it all.
You can also watch video versions of the newsletter on my TikTok and Instagram (YouTube, too, once I figure out if I need to buy a new camera), and I’ll be bringing back the podcast ASAP. I’ve also opened my styling and personal shopping appointments back up. You can book a complimentary consult, review various offerings, or submit a question for shopping help below.
Without further self-promotion, let’s get into it!
The New York Liberty x Off-White Partnership and the Off-White Sale by LVM
It’s undeniable that the WNBA has exploded in popularity this season, and it’s been interesting to see other sports fans catching up (weird comments and Caitlin Clark stans and haters aside). As the league continues to grow and expand, more non-traditional sports partnerships are on the rise too. Glossier was one of the first brands to bank on the WNBA, and now fashion labels are picking up the slack. The New York Liberty are one of the most well-known WNBA teams, partially thanks to their performance (five WNBA finals appearances but no championship - yet! ) but also their in-game experiences with Ellie, their iconic mascot, their savvy brand activations and a super fun game night experience (Liberty Games > Nets Games at Barclays). So I’m not surprised that the Liberty entered another fashion parternship, this time with Off-White - but I am a bit surprised by the brand choice.
At first, I was a little disappointed that they didn’t pick an NY-based brand. Off-White was founded by Virgil Abloh (RIP), is based in Milan, Italy and on Monday (Abloh’s birthday), LVMH’s share of the brand was sold to Blue Star Alliance. While it’s not super suprising that LVMH sold Off-White LLC as they were invested it in Off-White not just for the brand - but for Abloh - who siloed all his eponymous creative projects like his Nike and Ikea collaborations through the LLC. He was also the creative diretor of Louis Vuitton when he passeds, yet another tie to the LVMH conglomerate. Off-White is still finding its footing but much of the hype and interest came from Abloh, not the runway specifically. So this could be a reason why it’s so important to the fashion house to collaborate with brands that line up with their ethos - and target market.
Now, Off-White has always been to connected to the sportsworld. I can tell you first hand that myself and many other professional athlete stylists have worked with the brand for wardrobe shopping and fashion shows. Secondly, thanks to Abloh’s savvy marketing and directing work - Off-White works with Nike plenty - releasing sneakers, and women’s and men’s active wear among a bevy of products. Finally, Off-White has a similar deal with Serie A soccer team AC Milan, as the Club's official Style and Culture Curator, providing soccer kits, clothing, varsity jackets and collaborations for and with the club.
The New York Liberty and Off-White parternship uses the same title as the Serie A deal, with Off-White being named the official Style and Cutlure Curator of the team. Here’s the gist of partenrship from the press release:
I am curious to see if that means Off-White will be overseeing all design collaborations, as it doesn’t say it’s exclusive - it seems to be more that they will be the main partner for all apparel capsule collections. Off-White recently held their New York fashion week debut show at Brooklyn Bridge Park, with plenty of celebrities and athletes in attendance, so they are surely trying to cement themselves as at least, a New York-affiliated brand. According to Liberty CEO Keia Clarke in speaking to Muse by Clios, the first physical items went to the team first:
To kick off our relationship with Off-White, Sabrina Ionescu gifted each player on the roster a jacket in the team’s locker room following our last home game of the regular season.
The varsity jackets were customized for each players, some members of the staff and celebrites and were worn by the team before their first playoff game this season. The jackets are beautiful - which is not surprising given varsity jackets are a signature piece for both the brand and showed up frequently in Alboh’s cross-industry work. Signature jackets are also created for the AC Milan partnership every year.
The Liberty ones may be even better, the scale of the back graphic of the Liberty logo with various oversized fonts, shades of green, white and silver really pop - it feels equally NYC basketball and Off-White. The sleeves include embroidered details like the team’s mantra and the front features dual embroidered logos and an NYC patch. No word yet on the price, but the AC Milan jacket is $3500 at retail, so I’d anticpiatte at least four figures per piece. The jackets are not available on the online fan store (no surprise given it’s run by Fanatics) but there will be a select few pieces to pre-order at Liberty playoff games, including tonight against the Las Vegas Aces. I’m very curious to see how this partenership play out and how it effects the way the players dress and their personal style. I loved seeing how each made the varsity jacket their own and I hope the players continue to express their style - and that the collaboration creates some pieces that are a little more in reach to the average WNBA fan (and me!).
There is Actual Aesthetic NHL News
Remembering Johhny and Matthew Gaudreau
Before getting into the NHL news, I think it’s important to mention the loss of both Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau, who were killed by a drunk driver while cycling in their home state of New Jersey on August 29, 2024. The news rocked the hockey world, and one of the ways that the NHL will honor both players is with a decal on the back of their helmets, as reported by Dan Rosen.
Minnesota Wild fan Allie also made “Johnny Hockey” bracelets to gift Columbus Blue Jackets fans (Johnny’s last team) when the Wild play the Blue Jackets for their home opener. She’s sending some to Johnny’s widow, Meredith as well and has asked other fans from other fan bases to take part. I think it’s a lovely gesture and may make some as a gift from an agnostic hockey fan. Seeing friendship bracelets come back in a big way is very heartwarming. You can check out Allie’s post on how to donate supplies, time or cash towards her efforts.
Prost, Sabres!
On to more charming hockey news, the Buffalo Sabres headed to Europe for their Global Series. Their first stop was Munich, home of Oktoberfest and the boys all wore Lederhosen to celebrate. Is it sustainable to buy Lederhosen for one game? Not really. Do I hope it was rented and/or locally made to support Munich area businesses? Yes! Is it still a cute touch, especially because they also wore the updated retro blue and yellow Sabres jerseys and they do not look god-awful despite being a Fanatics product? Absolutely!
Sabrina Carpenter Makes A Case For Cute Merch
Tiny but mighty pop star Sabrina Carpenter is on tour in support of her new album and recently made a stop in Toronto. Her outfits are generally smart and well-tailored to her tiny frame, often accented by either stylized dance shoes or giant platforms ala Minnie Mouse. However, her outfit while in the Big Smoke (never call it the 6) is one of my favorite Sabrina styles to date and a perfect example of how to customize a jersey for the stage (awful team non-withstanding).
Sabrina wore an adidas (God bless it wasn’t a Fanatics one, which means it was likely ordered and created a while ago or using deadstock sources) Toronto Maple Leafs blue jersey with the current Leafs main logo (a twist on the 60’s logo - when they last won the Stanley Cup), Carpenter on the back and the number 24, as well as 24 on the sleeves - and all those elements are perfectly bedazzled in pearls, crystals and sequins (she turned 25 this year so maybe it was ordered before then?). The jersey looks cropped and loose - but I don’t think it was cut but possibly tailored a bit in fit since it has all the official markings in place - like the logo on the bottom right of the single stripe, the NHL shield at the collar and the “Milk” sponsorship patch. The combination of the cut and styling with matching sequined boots, mic and slightly tanned skin tone tights - give it a vibe that says, “ok jerseys are cute but let me make it mine” - for a sparkly take on a modern puck queen. Since the name and numbers don’t look like the standard embroidered name and number plates - it makes me think they took a blank Leafs jersey like this one and made the number and name themselves separately and added them on after. Usually, we see adornments added on an existing custom name and number jersey, so this is a fun take.
Dear NHL: we don’t want to shrink and pink our team gear - we want real jerseys with the option to customize at retail or ourselves. Put this on your moodboard! Not all women want sparkles and bows with their sports merch - but some girls who love those kind of adornments can and do also love hockey. I think Sabrina’s jersey is a short and sweet example of one of the merch possibilites for women going forward.
Sometimes, Bullying Works - At Least in the MLB
I am no proponent of bullying but when it comes to applying pressure to corporations and global brands to create change - sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do. In the case of the MLB - the constant complaints from fans and players alike finally made a difference. I am of course referring to the atrocious uniform changes from this past season put in place thanks to the Nike and Fanatics deal (I swear you could create a drinking game where you take a shot every time I rag on Fanatics but I discourage binge drinking).
A few of the myriad of complaints include see-through pants thanks to ultra-light polyester-based material, too small numbers and names, and the lack of embroidered elements. The new agreement between the MLB, Nike, Fanatics and the MLBPA (yes, the player’s union got involved it was so bad) will include the following changes, according to SportsLogo.net:
the return of larger-sized player names on the back of jerseys
the return of embroidered sleeve patches
bringing back the original fabric used during the 2023 season
fully customizable pant options for players
These changes will fix most of the issues fans and players had with the on-field gear this past season, and many of the edits will be seen on the field starting next season in 2025. The MLB will also be returning to the player’s typical team uniform paired with a special hat for the All-Star Game next year, instead of having All-Star teammates all wear matching AL and NL-specific uniforms, which upset most fans. Is the MLB finally listening to its aesthetically obsessed players and fans? Can they hire someone to be their in-house fashion director who cares about things like proportion, fit, and quality embroidery and can someone give them my resume and portfolio?
Beyoncé for Levi’s Has Me Ready to Break My Jeans Fast
So, Beyoncé’s Levi’s partnership - titled “Reimagined with Beyonce - Levii’s Jeans (like her song from Cowboy Carter) - may not be sports news, or inherently sustainable but it does have a huge opportunity to make an impact on the denim category. It also has the potential to reignite a conversation about clothing customization at a more mass scale. I have not worn jeans in probably 10 years - maybe longer. Not because I have a vendetta or a personal gripe with denim - I just have never found a pair, despite tailoring - that fits just right. As a short, curvy athletic girl I have often found that wearing denim makes me feel like a sausage in oppressive casing - and why wear denim when knit and linen pants exist? But Beyoncé’s new collection looks so good in the first commercial - I may put on denim jeans for the first time this decade.
Titled “Chapter 1: The Laundrette”, the video features Beyoncé throwing in her Levi’s denim with a bucket of sparkles (ala her Renaissance branding) in a washing machine and a denim cowboy hat - a cute little piece tha't’s giving Desinty’s Child era, when they were all styled by her mom Tina. The shoppable content in the YouTube video doesn’t feature anything Beyoncé’s wearing so we’ll be waiting for the product launch. However, I think there should be an addendum - as GAP did during the Tyla khaki campaign, by adding notes to the product detail pages that explained that a tailor had made the proportions just right. If Levi’s is smart, they’ll have denim tailors at every Beyonce pop-up event, tutorials on TikTok showing folks to take in waists themselves and maybe even an upcycling station in-store where potential clients can cut and resew their pieces. Could a curvy, cute denim line? While Ivy Park hasn’t been as successful as it could be - I am hopeful given the great branding (the logo is so darn cute in classic Levi’s red). After all, I could use something for my horse-girl barn days.
Are the Raptors Going to Revamp the Brand Properly?
And finally, please bring back the purple, red and black vibes permanently, Toronto Raptors. The ACC Scotiabank Arena never looked so good celebrating Vince Carter - I hope the colorway stays (but maybe test out the placement styling and positioning of the jerseys or edit them after seeing how they look all lumped together in photos but I digress).
That’s it for now because I am already looking at all the NBA Media Day fashion foibles and style stand-outs and I need to take a writing break before I write a thesis on the perfect media day photo aesthetic. I’ll be back with more later this week!
Stay safe and stay true,