Spartans Take on Haute Couture
Sarah Farnam
Manchester athletes are prepared to step off of the field and onto a Milan runway as internationally renowned designers have offered to design and produce MU’s new athletic uniforms and accessories.
Instead of asking “who’s on first?,” fans will be asking, “Who is the player on first wearing?” The Louisville Slugger brand has partnered with a prominent Paris-based house to create the ‘Louisville Vuitton’ line of baseball bats for Manchester’s baseball team. These bats are produced from luxurious Bocate--the most expensive wood in the world--and will feature the classic LV monogram.
Players will tote their bats, balls and other equipment around in Louis Vuitton’s line of Palm Springs backpacks, which are featured products in their Spring–Summer 2017 collection. These bags are running the athletic department about $2,000 each, but the soft calfskin exterior and convenient leather scarf holder make this a worthy expense.
“I was shocked to hear the price,” junior outfielder Eric Knepper says, “but it should improve our game. We’ll have the best product on the market.”
The baseball team is not the only squad going glam; the men and women’s’ basketball teams’ shoes are officially getting an upgrade. Michael Jordan has teamed up with high-fashion house Marc Jacobs to launch Jordan & Jacobs, a new line of sneakers. These shoes are detailed with studs, rhinestones and—in order to present a new challenge to the game—a two-inch kitten heel.
Helmets are out and Hermès is in! This high-end brand is producing our football team’s newest headwear: the chic fedora. While these offer less protection than a helmet, Hermès is confident that the accessory is so exquisite that the opposing team will be too impressed to attempt a tackle.
Sophomore tight end Nate Tesmer is not concerned about possible safety drawbacks, either. “We need to look good, feel good, play good,” he explains.
Fellow sophomore Lucas Lorian believes that the fedoras’ potential outweighs the risk. “As a running back, I will be able to come out of my stance more explosively and make better cuts. Also, the fedoras don’t have face masks, so they will offer better vision,” he says.
The soccer teams will be saying goodbye to Adidas and hello to Armani, who is producing new soccer uniforms in Italy. After declaring yellow and black to be an unrefined color palette, the Armani brand decided to produce the uniforms in hues from their most recent runway show: baby blue with neutral tan accents. Each uniform will include a cashmere crew neck sweater with the player’s number handstitched on the back and a pair of high-waisted, pure linen shorts.
In addition, goal keepers will receive pairs of fine leather gloves to wear during games. “I’m excited about the baby blue,” says junior forward Tod Oram. “A little worried about the dehydration factor with the cashmere sweaters on hot days, but we will definitely have intimidation over everyone else.”
He’s excited about the new soccer style, and is even looking to expand upon the look. “Can we get some sweet baby blue legwarmers, too?” he asks. These uniforms can be purchased at Nordstrom, or at any other luxury department store.
If the players are getting these designer upgrades, their hardworking coaches also deserve something special. NYC-based fashion company Coach is releasing a new line called ‘Coach for a Coach.’ This collection will feature 18-carat rose-gold whistles embellished with Swarovski crystals and carefully hand-crafted clipboards with stainless steel pens.