MLS Kits 2021

[PaleVermilion81]

18 minutes ago, DG_ThenNowForever said:

Will the refs be in navy?

 

Also, interesting that everyone went with orange or navy graphics with one exception: Minnesota. What makes them special?

Target brand guidelines. The logo can only be white, black or red. 

[FinsUp1214]

It would be nice if there were some flexibility aesthetically with this program. I understand if that’s Parley’s guidelines leading to the intrasquad look, but every team looking the same gives off a few poor impressions in my eyes that hurts this campaign and may give off the wrong ideas/assumptions among others:

 

1) it gives the impression that these are the only colors possible to work with, and gives the initiative a very limiting look. It’s as if to say, “yes you can make uniforms out of plastic, but this is the best/only colors we can do with it so far. We still have a loooong way to go”. That of course isn’t true, but that’s the sort of impression it gives off. Kits in various colors would be much more impressive and, I think, would drive home the feasibility and possibilities of plastic kit initiatives to a much stronger degree. 
 

2) It’s frankly a bit annoying with these campaigns when every team looks indistinguishable, and that in and of itself leaves a bad taste in the mouth. To me, it creates a negative perception and connotation when the campaign rolls around, and that honestly competes a bit in my mind with how awesome the initiative should be. Recycled plastic kits should be awesome and celebrated! But I find myself distracted more by how bad the league looks with them than the accomplishment of using the material, and that shouldn’t be the case.

 

I don’t know, I just think there should be a better “meeting in the middle” between MLS and Parley than this. Some aesthetic flexibility in the campaign would go a long way in helping both parties out - better looking games for the MLS, and a better expression of possibilities/feasibility of recycled plastic for Parley.

[guest23]

20 hours ago, andrewharrington said:

To Parley, though, the aesthetic *is* the impact, because what they do is so predicated on awareness, which facilitates their ability to help. make recycled ocean plastic a permanent part of the global textile supply chain. In my opinion, a simple ad or patch doesn’t effectively help them accomplish their goal.

 

I’m generally against on-field uniform promotions, but certain ones feel well-intentioned enough that I accept them. Barça wearing a UNICEF ad was always one. MLS/NHL/NCAA teams using Parley-branded recycled uniforms as a catalyst to improve one of the more wasteful industries on the planet fits the bill for me, regardless of how I personally feel about the aesthetics or the idea of two teams looking rather “intra-squad” for a whole weekend.

 

I will say, though, I think the All-Star game would be an even better place for this collab. I think the NHL version nailed that part of the strategy.

 

Raising awareness is a marketing cop out. Special or one off uniforms to message  the need for reduced textile consumption and associated waste is also a bad marketing vehicle for the message that should be: use/re-use, repair, repurpose, recycle. If adidas really wanted to make a statement they would outfit top flight clubs with second hand uniforms. Lastly, fast fashion has been an environmental scourge over the last decade plus and needs to be reined in.

[Digby]

I can’t keep track of the brand guideline hierarchy at work here.

[Rockstar Matt]

15 minutes ago, PaleVermilion81 said:

Target brand guidelines. The logo can only be white, black or red. 

 

That can't be completely true. LAFC has Target as a sleeve sponsor, and it's in gold.

 

EDIT: Maybe it's a stipulation because MUNFC has Target as their primary shirt sponsor?

[upperV03]

32 minutes ago, DG_ThenNowForever said:

Will the refs be in navy?

The refs will be wearing green in all of this weekend’s games. Here’s the link to all of the kit assignments:

https://www.mlssoccer.com/news/kit-matchups-what-your-club-is-wearing-for-mls-week-7

[Gothamite]

58 minutes ago, DG_ThenNowForever said:

Also, interesting that everyone went with orange or navy graphics with one exception: Minnesota. What makes them special?

 

Sometimes the answer is as simple as "they were the only ones who asked".

[andrewharrington]

38 minutes ago, FinsUp1214 said:

It would be nice if there were some flexibility aesthetically with this program. I understand if that’s Parley’s guidelines leading to the intrasquad look, but every team looking the same gives off a few poor impressions in my eyes that hurts this campaign and may give off the wrong ideas/assumptions among others:

 

1) it gives the impression that these are the only colors possible to work with, and gives the initiative a very limiting look. It’s as if to say, “yes you can make uniforms out of plastic, but this is the best/only colors we can do with it so far. We still have a loooong way to go”. That of course isn’t true, but that’s the sort of impression it gives off. Kits in various colors would be much more impressive and, I think, would drive home the feasibility and possibilities of plastic kit initiatives to a much stronger degree. 
 

2) It’s frankly a bit annoying with these campaigns when every team looks indistinguishable, and that in and of itself leaves a bad taste in the mouth. To me, it creates a negative perception and connotation when the campaign rolls around, and that honestly competes a bit in my mind with how awesome the initiative should be. Recycled plastic kits should be awesome and celebrated! But I find myself distracted more by how bad the league looks with them than the accomplishment of using the material, and that shouldn’t be the case.

 

I don’t know, I just think there should be a better “meeting in the middle” between MLS and Parley than this. Some aesthetic flexibility in the campaign would go a long way in helping both parties out - better looking games for the MLS, and a better expression of possibilities/feasibility of recycled plastic for Parley.

I don’t disagree with anything you’re saying here. As an aesthetic-focused fan, I understand that a league-wide promotion taking place during games that count and putting the team brands on the back burner may be unappealing to a decent chunk of people, but the other side of the coin is that the less consequential the event, the less people care.

 

It would make sense that eventually, polyester made from recycled ocean plastic will be a common and significant part of the supply chain, available in every color, and we’ll be well past having to promote industrial responsibility. Objectively, it’s probably not there yet, so disruption is the best tool at their disposal to gain momentum and build their reputation as a leader in sustainable textiles.

 

34 minutes ago, guest23 said:

 

Raising awareness is a marketing cop out. Special or one off uniforms to message  the need for reduced textile consumption and associated waste is also a bad marketing vehicle for the message that should be: use/re-use, repair, repurpose, recycle. If adidas really wanted to make a statement they would outfit top flight clubs with second hand uniforms. Lastly, fast fashion has been an environmental scourge over the last decade plus and needs to be reined in.

 

Often, you're probably right, but they’re turning trash that’s currently floating on top of the ocean into yarn, and the goal is to use that yarn to make new things instead of virgin yarn.

 

Making new stuff from the plastic sort of facilitates the harvesting and processing of the plastic at greater and greater scale, no?

[upperV03]

These kits really aren’t even Parley co-branded, though, at least not in the same sense as they used to be. They’re straight up catalog kits that are made with Adidas’ Primeblue material (which is made in part with Parley Ocean Plastic). In the past, the Parley kits were actually co-branded and were unique (albeit still templated) creations made specifically for the league-wide initiative instead of being picked from a catalog:

 

In the past, Adidas has had co-branded Parley kits and prematch tops in a whole bunch of different colors for their international club teams and national teams:

 

 

The Parley kits have been the same for all the clubs in MLS quite simply because it’s easier and more convenient for Adidas to produce rather than having to pump out 27 different colorways, and the MLS has signed off on it. The color schemes for the kits in past years probably were decided in collaboration with Parley, but it absolutely is and was possible to create versions with more team-specific colors. And this year, all Adidas did was look in their catalog and pick out the kits that were conveniently made with the Primeblue material. If they wanted to put the effort in to create original kits for the promotion, they have a products made with the Primeblue material in a whole bunch of colors:

https://www.adidas.com/us/primeblue

[andrewharrington]

19 hours ago, upperV03 said:

These kits really aren’t even Parley co-branded, though, at least not in the same sense as they used to be. They’re straight up catalog kits that are made with Adidas’ Primeblue material (which is made in part with Parley Ocean Plastic). In the past, the Parley kits were actually co-branded and were unique (albeit still templated) creations made specifically for the league-wide initiative instead of being picked from a catalog:

 

In the past, Adidas has had co-branded Parley kits and prematch tops in a whole bunch of different colors for their international club teams and national teams:

 

 

The Parley kits have been the same for all the clubs in MLS quite simply because it’s easier and more convenient for Adidas to produce rather than having to pump out 27 different colorways, and the MLS has signed off on it. The color schemes for the kits in past years probably were decided in collaboration with Parley, but it absolutely is and was possible to create versions with more team-specific colors. And this year, all Adidas did was look in their catalog and pick out the kits that were conveniently made with the Primeblue material. If they wanted to put the effort in to create original kits for the promotion, they have a products made with the Primeblue material in a whole bunch of colors:

https://www.adidas.com/us/primeblue

Good points. This new tiered structure is still coming out, so, this is likely the beginning of the transition. When the partnership began, everything was Parley-branded to drive interest in them and their mission; to put it on the map, so to speak.

Primeblue is essentially the start of Parley’s product becoming a permanent part of the design toolbox.

 

Primegreen materials are also made from recycled yarn, but not yarn made from ocean plastic.

 

The Parley co-branding is going to be used primarily for flagship/premium stuff.

[MJWalker45]

LA Galaxy in blue are playing the Earthquakes, who are in white. God this is confusing. Especially when the game before was LAFC vs NYCFC.

[BlazerBlaze]

Can we talk about how in person the white jerseys with the sky blue numbers made it impossible to tell who was who?
 My seats are on the front row of the 2nd deck and Josef Martinez was the only one I could distinguish, and that was from his pink hair!

[Digby]

 

TFW both of NYCFC’s main rivals look like NYCFC.

[Gothamite]

1 hour ago, Digby said:

TFW both of NYCFC’s main rivals look like NYCFC.

 

 

1 hour ago, Digby said:

both of NYCFC’s main rivals

 

 

No.  Orlando City is not a "main rival".

 

 

 

[Digby]

I mean Orlando has disliked NYCFC since day one and will hate the kit, sorry my poor wording caused such consternation.

[Waffles]

Charlotte FC revealed the schedule for their ramp-up to their inaugural season - of note, the home jerseys will be released in November, followed by a "Community Kit" in January.

[MJWalker45]

 

EA Sports has added the original home kits for 8 of the MLS clubs that started play in 1996. The frustrating thing to me is they couldn't get the numbers right.  It's not like they aren't readily available to be found.  And I'm not sure why DC United isn't included. 

[sky1324]

42 minutes ago, Waffles said:

Charlotte FC revealed the schedule for their ramp-up to their inaugural season - of note, the home jerseys will be released in November, followed by a "Community Kit" in January.

*crosses fingers*

 

Please don't be all black, please don't be all black!!!

[Gothamite]

3 hours ago, Digby said:

I mean Orlando has disliked NYCFC since day one and will hate the kit, sorry my poor wording caused such consternation.

 

No "consternation" at all.  

 

Orlando has been trying to make it a thing since day one, but it's not actually a thing.   

 

[PrimalCookie]

EDIT: Actually I'd rather not get into meaningless online fights. Ignore