La collab di Orlando City e Mitchell & Ness racconta calcio e basket

The new MLS season started a few days ago, and amidst exciting games, the major US soccer league is looking to become ever more competitive and gain appeal not only in the critical eyes of Europeans, but also in the country itself. In all sports, from basketball and ice hockey to soccer and baseball, the rise in the hierarchy of the most important and most highly regarded leagues in the USA is also based on cooperation and special projects by the clubs. Orlando City has recently embarked on a special collaboration with Mitchell & Ness, an institution in the production of sportswear with a nostalgic flair, but above all the perfect partner for combining soccer and basketball. To celebrate its tenth MLS season, the Orlando Club has designed a retro crest that features the color red on its jerseys for the first time after the years spent in the USL.

Brand identity is very important to Orlando City: just think of the fact that very few clubs in football world play with a purple kit. Mark Lowyns, the club's creative director, told in an interview for nss sports a year ago how one of the kits is designed and how every year they try to make the most of the heritage associated with a corporate color worn only by Anderlecht and Fiorentina. In the interview, Lowyns explained how the club dreams of working with numerous brands and how this strategy will allow them to lay the foundations for future projects in the coming months. Part of this was accomplished through the involvement of Mitchell & Ness, which allowed to create an original Orlando City basketball jersey, increasing the visibility of the project.

The special collection is completed by a satin bomber jacket, scarves and cotton T-shirts. The color red is used for almost all of the garments in the collection, which is based on the social palette of the Orlando Magic and Orlando City. To bring football and basketball closer together, Orlando City's collection was worn by the club's stars, Luis Muriel and Facundo Torres, on the floor of the Kia Center, home of the Orlando Magic. The project by Orlando City and Mitchell & Ness aims to turn sportswear into a real lifestyle object. That's why the collection shoot was staged within the walls of Proper, one of Florida's most famous music bars, which preserves the state's long musical tradition. The stylistic choice demonstrates great coherence and attention on the part of Orlando City's creative management, which pays particular attention both to its own territory and to the entire country's sports culture. Could this be the cornerstone of the MLS becoming more and more attractive in the eyes of American sports fans every day?