A sustainability partnership between repurposing sportswear design outfit (re)boot and Major League Soccer (MLS) franchise Inter Miami and agency AKQA Bloom turned the club’s discarded official team kits and used training gear into a new collection of jersey’s and apparel for Inter Miami’s Academy – thus introducing the league’s first circular, no waste apparel model.
The tie-up, which first kicked off in March 2023, saw circular waste apparel brand (re)boot partner with designer Justin Mensinger to create the new official Inter Miami Academy collection – which including youth and adult kits – in an approach deliberately designed to be applied to any team across the US major leagues and sports around the world.
The collection was for the club’s Under-12 Academy and was created from used training tops and game worn kits by the 2022 Inter Miami first team (which includes former Argentina striker Gonzalo Higuaín and Team USA keeper Gregore, Drake Callender,
The young academy was selected for the inaugural (re)boot collection specifically to inspire the next generation of athletes to be more eco-conscious and encourage dialogue about sustainability from a young age.
The recycled kits were launched through an official match walkout initiative which saw 11 young Academy members take the pitch alongside Inter Miami first teamers for an MLS league match between Inter Miami CF and the Chicago Fire at DRV PNK Stadium in March.
This on-pitch collection debut was then amplified through an integrated, digital-first marketing campaign conceptualised, created, and executed by AKQA Bloom.
The initiative was informed by data showing that in today’s world people buy 60% more clothes than just a decade ago and that items are only used on average seven times.
It also understands that the sports industry faces a great challenge as every season, leagues, clubs and athletes all over the world discard used sports equipment – thus contributing to a growing waste problem. MLS alone goes through 12,800 pairs of boots, 5,400 balls and countless jerseys and training kits every year.
Indeed, (re)boot is an organisation created to breath new life into worn sports equipment through the process of deconstruction and reconstruction resulting in turning discarded gear into statement pieces with visually captivating forms and textures.
The creative agency which developed the marketing campaign was AKQA Bloom where the team was led by Founders Jean Zamprogno and Fernando Pellizzaro/
“This momentous partnership between Inter Miami CF, (re)boot, and AKQA Bloom is poised to redefine the future of sustainability in sports,” commented AKQA Bloom Founders and Executive Creative Directors Jean Zamprogno and Fernando Pellizzaro. “By upcycling sportswear and inspiring change through innovative initiatives, we are paving the way for a legacy built on environmental responsibility and conscious consumerism”.
“I’m excited to introduce (re)boot to the world. Combining the powerful forces of fuìtbol and fashion, we exist to ensure that no piece of sports equipment goes to waste. (re)boot is a restart, and together we can design a healthier planet and a circular future for all sports. It is a dream to bring the first (re)boot collection to life with my hometown club,” said (re)boot Founder Gabriella Mas. “Inter Miami is on their way to be the reference of fútbol in North America, and this project is another proof point that highlights the Club’s innovative nature and commitment to harnessing the power of fútbol to do good.”
“To me, (re)boot is a brand that represents the future of upcycling, especially in the athletic space,” said Deisgner Mensinger. “They are taking these old jerseys, whether it’s training uniforms or game day uniforms, and combining all those into one new piece and giving it a second life and energy, so a kid, for example, can wear that jersey and feel that power behind those garments.”
Comment
Since the Messi announcement, everyone else has been talking about Inter Miami, so we thought we might as well too.
(re)boot itself, according to Founder Gabriella Mas, was “born to eliminate waste in the sports industry and keep gear in play for longer, by collecting used materials from professional clubs and transforming them into new products”. It set out to “go beyond reduce, reuse, recycle”.
Indeed, its visual identity, logo and name all symbolise the transformative power of rebooting, reinventing and reimagining and demonstrate its complete commitment to sustainability and innovation. Its mission is to work with others on projects that bring to life the potential in repurposing.
While agency AKQA Bloom is also committed to sustainability, innovation and the transformative power of inspiration.
This tripartite initiative was the first MLS move towards a circular model for waste and one that looks likely to establish a template for future apparel initiatives throughout the league and across US sports.
It also comes hot-on-the-heels of Inter Miami’s ‘One Planet Jersey’ project launch in April 2023, as well as its recent Marvel jersey collaboration.
If you think there a lot of Inter Miami shirts around these days, just wait until Messi actually arrives.
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