Soccer’s been having a fashion moment. From jerseys to footwear, stylish people worldwide have adopted “the beautiful game.”
Of course, for hardcore soccer fans, team jerseys are much more than just fashion statements. They’re a culture unto themselves, with kit tops telling stories about their communities, players, and club history.
To both of those ends, Major League Soccer is celebrating jersey culture with a fashionable twist as fans are preparing to gear up for the MLS Cup Playoffs presented by Audi that will kickoff on October 23. As a continuation of Major League Soccer’s partnership with stylist Courtney Mays, the League and Mays collaborated for a photoshoot to showcase how fans can wear their jerseys in all situations and how jerseys are truly the most versatile item in a closet. The partnership between MLS and Mays officially kicked off in July with the unveiling of the adidas x MLS Archive Collection, which consisted of retro-themed jerseys, jackets and Gazelle shoes for select MLS Clubs.
Courtney Mays on Styling for MLS Jersey Week
This time around, in support of MLS Jersey Week, Mays puts her background dressing pro athletes to work styling real MLS fans in jerseys from their local teams. While the mood of the photos is fun, the outfits Mays has assembled are are sophisticated, using layering, texture, and cultural symbols to create looks that nod to cities and clubs, including Chicago Fire FC, Atlanta United FC, Ausin FC, the New York Red Bulls, New York City FC, Los Angeles FC, and Inter Miami CF.
Mays found the experience educational and studied each city and club to get the looks right.
“Working with MLS was an education for me, wanting to bring to life the city and the fan base there,” Mays told Complex. “I worked really closely with MLS to make sure I understood who the fans are, what they like to do, what’s their lifestyle in each city, and then to try to incorporate that into each look, so that when people are looking at this campaign, they can see a little bit of themselves in the models.”
Beyond making sure to represent the real fans and cultures of each city and club included in the shoot, Mays also wanted the looks she styled to be inspirational and expansive.
“The purpose of the whole project is to encourage people to think about wearing jerseys in ways outside of your sweatpants and your running shorts,” she said. “How can I incorporate it into my look for work or if I’m going to the farmer’s market? I think it became really interesting to me to solve that challenge.”
Take a look at a behind-the-scenes video documenting Mays’ process and the shoot, then scroll through to see more photos.
And, if you’re curious who has the top-selling jersey of Jersey Week at the MLS store so far, it’s none other than Inter Miami CF superstar Lionel Messi. He’s followed by his teammate Luis Suárez at two, with MLS Golden Boot presented by Audi winner Denis Bouanga of LAFC third, reigning Landon Donovan MLS MVP Luciano Acosta of FC Cincinnati sitting fourth, and Leagues Cup Tournament MVP and reigning MLS Cup presented by Audi MVP Cucho Hernández of the Columbus Crew rounding out the top five.
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