Image Courtesy of the NFL
When Corey Populus learned he was going to be working with the NFL, he immediately knew a story he wanted to convey. On Sunday he’s standing in front of a recreated front yard complete with burgundy steps, a barred front door, a boombox, 40s in paper bags, and even Lil Chris’ wheelchair. It’s immediately recognizable as the stoop from John Singleton’s Boyz n the Hood. But some might not understand its connection to the NFL and football. In the film, Ricky is a star high school running back who sees his football dreams cut short after getting tangled up in confrontations with local gang members and ultimately being shot and killed.
“I wanted to really tell an LA origin football story,” says Populus. He even dressed in an all-black outfit complete with a vintage Raiders fitted to mimic the attire of Ice Cube’s Doughboy in the movie. “What’s more perfect than Ricky from Boyz n the Hood?”
Populus’ Circulate was one of the four brands the NFL tapped to debut its first Origins collection. On Sunday afternoon they celebrated the launch of the line at The Revery, a venue in Los Angeles’ Chinatown neighborhood, where the public could shop capsules from Circulate, Bricks and Wood, Bella Doña, and Rip N Repair, all Angelino streetwear brands. Each brand was tasked with creating a capsule celebrating LA, where Super Bowl LVI will take place, and its vast subcultures in their own unique way. Origins was exclusively released to LA residents at the special pop-up event. The items will also be sold through nflshop.com, at the NFL’s Super Bowl LVI pop-up at the Los Angeles Convention Center, and in limited quantities via each brand’s online store from now through Feb. 13.
Circulate’s Corey Populous at the NFL Origins pop-up in Los Angeles. Image via Louis Lee Photography
Origins is one of the NFL’s latest attempts to connect with its younger and more diverse fanbase, an increasingly tougher task considering the frequent headlines in recent years regarding former stars like Colin Kaepernick or more recent issues related to former Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores. Other recent projects have included Born X Raised producing a capsule for the Los Angeles Rams and the Dolphins working with Miami boutique Unknwn. It also offers a new avenue to connect with the local community. Aside from clothing, the NFL also chose to honor LA with this year’s Super Bowl halftime show, which will feature some of the city’s hip-hop legends such as Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, and Kendrick Lamar.
“To become more authentically connected to our host cities, it was important for the NFL to find ways to collaborate more with local brands that are the fabric of the communities we are entering,” says NFL Vice President of Influencer Marketing Eddie Capobianco in an official press release. Capobianco, who previously worked at New Era before taking on the role, has been instrumental in bringing this vision to life. “With the launch of Origins: An NFL Collection, we now have an opportunity to do that by shining a spotlight on local talent and integrating them into how we commemorate NFL events, bringing their creative designs to our massive fanbase.”
The approach offers a variety of items to fans who may not want to wear a jersey or a team logo all the time. It’s a refreshing approach to complement the usual Super Bowl merch we see. The Origins capsules will continue annually moving forward. New brands will be showcased each year that nod to the city that hosts the Super Bowl.
Like Populus’ movie-themed space, each brand created their own activation at the pop-up. Kacey Lynch, who designs Bricks and Wood, channeled his office lounge with colorful throw rugs, a white couch, and wooden coffee table to keep things cozy and inviting. Bella Doña’s space included bouquets of roses, a purple lowrider tricycle, and wall hangings made to resemble hoop earrings that represent its Chicano roots. Rip N Repair looked to Koreatown’s swap meets with special signage and magazine racks. The floor featured a print of various Korean newspaper clippings scattered about.
The clothing from each brand was just as distinctive. Circulate’s capsule consists of graphic T-shirts and hoodies. One features a football player stiff-arming through “Circulate” spelled out in lettering mimicking the Hollywood sign. It’s a nod to vintage Salem Sportswear graphics from the ‘90s. The highlight is a graphic honoring Kenny Washington, a former Los Angeles Rams player who was the first African American to sign an NFL contract back in 1946. The front features a photo of Washington and the back is covered in information about him, similar to a trading card.
“I was just like, ‘Yo, if I don’t know about [Washington] then there’s probably a ton of other people that need to know about this story and it needs to be told,” says Populus. To make sure the Washington shirt could come to life, he even reached out to his daughter Karin Washington Cohen for approval. “It was really cool that I could incorporate that story into this collection, especially being a Black designer. Through Circulate, I always try to highlight Black people that have done amazing things for people like me to be here.”
Lynch flipped old Super Bowl typeface on hoodies, tossed helmets donning the brand’s signature “B” logo on T-shirts as a subtle reference to the Raiders, and is also selling accessories like totes and coffee mugs with similar branding. He notes his initial hesitancy about the project given the various controversies that seem to be swirling around the NFL, but came on board in hopes of sparking change.
“The NFL has had a very up and down perception over the last five years or so, from the [Colin] Kaepernick stuff to the information about coaches coming out and racism. As a Black man and Black-owned business, those are are the types of things you have to be considerate of,” Lynch tells Complex. “Ultimately, I decided to work with the NFL because you create change from the inside, right? Unless you get in those rooms and create those opportunities, change won’t happen. I’m not saying it’s gonna happen immediately, but just seeing a Black-owned business partnering with the NFL could be that chain reaction.”
LaLa Romero and Natalia Durazo of Bella Doña are offering up sweatsuits featuring tonal embossed logos and graphic T-shirts that place the NFL shield beside airbrush-esque letters. But the standout is a black satin jacket, a clear nod to the classic Raiders jackets that have become symbolic of LA fashion. The duo says the collection will be familiar to their loyal following.
“Our brand is so rooted in ‘90s nostalgia and our teams. We grew up sports fans. We come from big Latino families where you’re born wearing a jersey and a fly pair of sneakers. Those things are who we are. It’s in our brand DNA, which is why I think it was such an easy fit for us,” says Romero.
As the owners of the only women-owned brand that is part of the Origins capsule, Romero and Durazo hope it snowballs into more female led and owned brands being represented next year and can lead to a bigger change in the streetwear space often dominated by men.
“It means we’re doing our job and creating a space for women,” says Durazo. “We’re coming in like, ‘no, we’re here.’ We’re claiming some real estate in the space. I think it just means we’re doing the right thing and it’s exciting to see how many girls will be inspired by what we’re doing and come next.”
Rip N Repair, a collective from Koreatown presented hoodies and T-shirts with striking images of championship rings detailed with allusions to their upbringing like “Koreatown” and “Inglewood.” Others situate the NFL shield next to the gateway structure that can be seen on Olympic Boulevard when you enter Koreatown, a notable symbol of the area.
“We wanted to really highlight where we come from, Koreatown born and raised. It’s a big platform and we really just wanted to represent where we grew up” says Rip N Repair’s Jason Yi. “For me, [the capsule] just speaks Koreatown from a distance. You know where it’s coming from.”
While each of these brands has already carved out devoted followings of their own, partnering with a brand like the NFL certainly comes with a new level of exposure. Populus and Romero note the excitement from their older family members, who sometimes aren’t fully aware of the magnitude of their industry milestones. But they understood how big it was to partner with the NFL. Romero’s father and niece took part in the official photoshoot. Rip N Repair also made sure to include various family members and close friends while promoting their portion of the project. “It meant a whole lot that we were being noticed, especially being Asian-owned,” says Yi. “I can’t put it into words. It’s a huge deal for us.”
Lynch hopes that the younger generation seeing the NFL partner with a brand like his is proof that you can rack up huge accomplishments in the sports arena in other avenues even if you don’t go pro.
“You can have a brand. You can be a production agency. You can work for the NFL on the back end. There’s so many different ways you can still be effective and still get your passion off,” says Lynch. “We want to show people that you can be in this space and do all these things and you don’t have to get your feet dirty.”
