We are throwing a party to launch our 40 Years of Rebellion collection. We’d love to meet some of the loyal members of the LBF Squad and give you guys a first look at the collection before it goes live online!
Here are the important details: Where:
Gallery ML/ Arch Enemy Arts
111 Arch Street
Philadelphia, PA 19106
View Larger Map When:
Friday, May 31st. 6:30pm-10pm
Admission is FREE for ALL AGES
FREE FOOD + FREE DRINKS (Open Bar 21+)
*** To get in you must be on the guest list, so RSVP to this event. RSVP here You are allowed to bring one guest***
Dress code: World Class.
Learn about the players featured in the collection:
With today being Thanksgiving Day I feel it’s a good time to thank every member of the LBF Squad for their commitment to LBF. The Fall/Winter collection will be released on Cyber Monday (Nov. 27th) and it has been a long four month process to get us to where we are now. In August, I made the transition from Philadelphia to Seattle to work for Golazo. Though the transition has been going well, I’d be lying if I said LBF didn’t suffer for it. I never realized how important being in Philadelphia and around everything I knew was until I was away from that environment. There was a point where Dom and I weren’t sure if the collection would be coming out. We’d run out of money and desperately wantedneeded to take the brand to the next level. With the fall collection we were effectively trying to grow our business six fold and didn’t have the capital to do it.
If you’ve been following us for quite some time you’re quite familiar with the way we released items in the past. We would release one or two items at a time and push them for a few months. That model is easier to fund because you don’t have to put up so much money at once. However, the fall collection saw us introducing different items that cost a shedload of money to make. Despite not having money I chose not to sacrifice the quality of the garments to cut costs. Quality is something you guys have come to expect from us and I couldn’t live with myself knowing that I’d released inferior products to the LBF Squad. Never that.
Anyhow, having your back pinned against the wall is remarkable because you are able to think laterally and come up with solutions that may not have come to you otherwise. We moved hell and high water and here we are. I’d like to apologize to everyone for the long ass wait and thank you for sticking with us.
I’m really really excited about this collection because we gave it everything and pushed ourselves to create designs that (hopefully) will stand the test of time. Each piece is unique in its own way, but the common thread that binds them all together is this catchphrase that we use internally: “Authenticity is Timeless. LBF is Forever” We’ll be spending today and the rest of the weekend finalizing all the little things that need to be done to ensure a successful launch.
Thanks for always rockin’ with us. We appreciate the love.
Ever since the inception of Live Breathe Futbol female soccer fans have asked us to make gear designed specifically for women. We know how important our female fanbase is and we’ve kept this in mind. Over the past few months we’ve been working on a line of shirts that are designed just for women. Below are some photos of the shoot for the women’s line. This is just a glimpse of what is to come. Thanks to our lovely and lively model, Farhana for killing it! Check out the photos. Ladies, we’re about to become your favorite soccer brand!
Keep your eye on the Shop for the launch of the women’s line.
Good day World Class members of the LBF Squad. Just wanted to announce that our highly sought after ‘World Class’ crewneck sweaters are now back in STOCK. Just like the first drop these are super limited (less than 50 pieces available) edition so I suggest you grab one while you can. Once this batch sells out we won’t be making anymore, but instead will be releasing the ‘World Class’ hoodies. En garde. Crewnecks are available here
Been a while since I updated the blog, I’m happy to share this with you guys. A while back I posted some photos about my TEDxTempleU event, the good folks over at TED have put up the video on youtube. I’ve embedded it here for your viewing pleasure. Enjoy.
I made a draft of this post the day I submitted my “Vintage Hand Drawn DOOP” design to the Philadelphia Union for their contest. I said to myself that I would post it only if I won the contest. I am happy that I am able to share this with you. There are more sketches that I chose to leave out of this post because I wanted to condense this post into a three step phase. I hope you enjoy it, and I hope you all go out and buy the finished product once the Union put it up for sale. Exciting stuff all around.
The Sketching:
from the sketch book
The sketch process is the most fun, but also the most arduous time in the design process. There is something liberating about throwing everything on the page and seeing what sticks, but what begins to happen is that if you fall in love with more than one design moving forward in the process becomes more difficult. Fortunately, as soon as I sketched out the vintage poster (sketch in the top right corner) I knew that was it. I hurriedly flipped the page and began drawing.
The Inking:
The ink process is very different from drawing. Once you put that sharpie to the page the impression is permanent and every misplaced stroke adversely affects the outcome. The beauty of this piece is that I was going for a vintage, worn in look so the more “misplaced” strokes in this case, the better.
The idea behind the design is this: The Union, although a new organization, is rooted in a city that has a lot of culture, character and history. That culture and character is evident in the way the Union do things and within one year they have done a fantastic job of creating an identity for the team and the fans. I wanted to capture every element that helped create this identity while simultaneously creating a unified whole. The Sons of Ben, the Commodore-Barry Bridge behind PPL Park, the “DOOP” song, the Delaware River are all parts of that identity.
The oar and scythe in the design is representative of the Sons of Ben, the bridge and the Delaware River make a cameo and the Os in “DOOP” (a requirement for the design) are rendered in the vein of classic logos like Gucci’s interlocking G’s as well as the Chanel logo:
Gucci G
Chanel Logo
I employed this technique to root the design in a classic and timeless aesthetic. The phrase, “The Original DOOP Squad” really appealed to me. It sounded classic even though the Union is a new organization. Ultimately, my goal was to create something that had the potential to mean a bit more to the fans and the organization than just being a contest-winning design. I want people to be able to look back at this time at some point in the distant future and point to this design as a visual representation of what the Philadelphia Union is all about. If you think I am taking this a bit too seriously, I am, and that is because I have seen the power that design has to define a time, a people, and a culture. I took this opportunity as my chance to identify- in one motion- the culture of a city I have grown to love and a football club that is poised to really make history. And from the reactions from folks on twitter- both old and young- it seems that they feel the same way as well. Thank you all for voting and hope you grab one when they are released!
I have written this post over 50 times in my head and each time it comes out different. Where do I begin? Do I start at the part where I called practically everyone I knew in NYC trying to get silly pink wristbands that granted Chewy, Keith and me access to the “Meet the Red Bulls” event? Or do I start at the part where we waited in the freezing cold outside the Adidas Store on Broadway waiting to meet Thierry Henry? I guess it doesn’t really matter where the story starts, but the story in and of itself is worth telling.
I present to you all….
As a Gooner living in the United States I never got the chance to visit Highbury or the Emirates stadium to watch my idol, Thierry Henry, play for Arsenal. So when my buddy in NYC informed me of the “Meet the Red Bulls” event at the Adidas store yesterday, I quickly cleared my schedule for the event. Yesterday also happened to be my best friend’s birthday, and being that he loves Arsenal as well, I planned to bring him along as a surprise. I kept the secret quite well until Emily, Keith’s girl, told me that she let it slip…You’re forgiven, Em. So at that point the pressure to pull it off was now greater. Up until 10.37 am I had no wristbands to get into the store, but I held faith like a boy on Christmas morning hoping for that shiny train set. My good friend, Dara King, who lives not too far from the store came through in the clutch like Thierry Henry’s header against Man U (see what I did there?). She text me while I was slaving over my Structures exam that she had managed to snag three wristbands for free. (Others had to spend $50 on Red Bull gear to get wristbands). I wasn’t surprised because Dara is the sort of person that can persuade you to sell your car and use the money to buy her shoes.
Keith the birthday boy
Chewy and I left Philadelphia on the trusty Chinatown bus headed for the Big Apple. Thanks to technological Android-wizardry we were able to watch the Tottenham shellacking on a bus with no Wi-fi. Thierry would’ve been proud. After arriving in the city we link up with Dara to get the wristbands and get in line around the store. It’s freezing cold, but the Red Bull folks were kind enough to offer us copious amounts of ice cold Red Bulls to keep us warm. Well played.
smiles all around. Chewy doesn't belong. He's a Manc
lovely old fella. don't think he was waiting to see TiTi
love birds.
After being in line outside for almost two hours the folks in the Red Bulls jackets and walkie talkies came out with some bad news. The folks who were unable to secure a wristband earlier in the day would not be able to get in. How unfortunate. These folks had endured the cold for two hours and you just now tell them they won’t be able to get in. Unbelievable. The lines finally moved and we inched closer to meeting the man who inspired me to wear the number 14 even though it sits somewhere at the bottom of my favorite figures.
The man. The legend.
Oh shit. That’s HIM. The one that scored 226 goals for Arsenal. Made Real Madrid look like school boys at the Bernabeu; the man who God sent to be a thorn in the side of Tottenham Hotspur. The man who went an entire Premier League season unbeaten. That man is ten feet in front of me. While we stood outside, each of us came up with awesome questions we were going to ask him. But naturally, when I got up to him, I could not even think of saying anything. I was just grateful that I was fortunate to be in his presence. Then the unthinkable happens. LBF’s resident photographer, Chewy, pulls a Yakubu at the worst moment. Henry gets up to take a photo with me and Chewy is fondling with the camera and says “no more memory.” The moment I had been waiting for; the moment I’d dreamed I would share with my children when I am old and gray would not be captured. No sweat though, because Birthday Boy got his picture AND told TiTi to sign his Arsenal jumper, “Always a Gunner” which he did. You have to respect someone like Henry. There were cameras next to him, a smug reporter who was constantly barraging him with the same old questions, and countless flashes going off in his face for hours and he smiled each time and took it all in stride. What a class act. God bless you TiTi.
Starstruck child and guy with mustache
The newest Red Bull in town; Dwayne DeRosario
Rafa Marquez ex Barca man
Marquez signs my Jabulani
The Signature. This ball shall never touch a pitch. No sir
I don’t like the Red Bulls (I’m a Union fan) but I spent $20 on RB Jabulani just to get it signed. Money well spent. We exited the store quickly and ventured onto the streets of Manhattan in search of good dinner. Remember this post?Yeah, it’s becoming a habit to find good spots to eat after football-related outings. It’s the LBF Life I guess. Emily recommended Max Brenners for Keith’s birthday dinner, and so we went.
Hilarity ensues…
my steak panini (or something)
Birthday boy being silly
Emily laughing at Keith
Me being too cool to act silly...
Just kidding....
birthday ice cream
This picture sums up the night. Epic.
I had rewritten this post 50 times in my head, most words were forgotten. More clever quips and anecdotes as well. These images give you an idea of how epic it was. Oh, after stuffing our face with Max Brenners, Chewy and I had to sprint a mile to catch the last bus back to Philadelphia. Hilarious.
Video coming later on. I have class now so I must run. Au Revoir!
We are throwing a party to launch our 40 Years of Rebellion collection. We’d love to meet some of the loyal members of the LBF Squad and give you guys a first look at the collection before it goes live online!
Gucci G
As a Gooner living in the United States I never got the chance to visit Highbury or the Emirates stadium to watch my idol, Thierry Henry, play for Arsenal. So when my buddy in NYC informed me of the “Meet the Red Bulls” event at the Adidas store yesterday, I quickly cleared my schedule for the event. Yesterday also happened to be my best friend’s birthday, and being that he loves Arsenal as well, I planned to bring him along as a surprise. I kept the secret quite well until Emily, Keith’s girl, told me that she let it slip…You’re forgiven, Em. So at that point the pressure to pull it off was now greater. Up until 10.37 am I had no wristbands to get into the store, but I held faith like a boy on Christmas morning hoping for that shiny train set. My good friend, 
