The LA Galaxy unveiled the LA Galaxy x Undefeated 2014 Field Collection in an exclusive collaboration with sports lifestyle brand Undefeated on Thursday.
The collection will feature the combination of the Galaxy logo along with the Undefeated brand imagery as well as other iconic symbols from Los Angeles sports culture as well as the world of football.
LA Galaxy Insider Adam Serrano spoke to Undefeated co-founder James Bond about the collaboration between his brand and the Galaxy.
LA GALAXY INSIDER: What served as the inspiration for this collaboration with the LA Galaxy and Undefeated?
JAMES BOND: It’s always important to work with professional organizations because it allows us to expand the scope of Undefeated and how we’re perceived. The inspiration was our motto at Undefeated which is ‘sport is war.’ The scope is not just the actual playing of the game, but it’s the before and it’s the after. Most of the inspiration with the Galaxy collaboration was the preparation of going into battle and charting the course. It’s about checking the stars and looking into the future while also remembering the past.
INSIDER: You redesigned the LA Galaxy crest in several of your products with a sword through the center. Can you explain this move?
BOND: If you think about some of the clubs in Europe, there’s such a history of crests and shields and we gave our version of what that crest may look like.
INSIDER: What’s your own connection to the sport of soccer?
BOND: My connection with soccer is still fairly young as I played football and hockey growing up, but I started playing soccer to keep fit as an adult. From there, I fell in love with it. All my kids play and I’ve developed a deep respect for the game. It’s a hard sport to learn in terms of the muscle memory required, but when you watch it, it’s really quite elegant. We’re just psyched being a part of it from beginning to end.
INSIDER: Throughout your catalog, there is a profound influence of Los Angeles and Southern California imagery; can you explain the reason for this?
BOND: We’re a Los Angeles-based company and we want to make sure that we give back in the right way so even though we’re sports-centric, we’re L.A. driven in terms of our color ways, fonts and expression. We’re fortunate to have some of the greatest teams in our city like the Lakers, Galaxy and the Dodgers, there’s a great sports history.
INSIDER: Your brand’s defining feature is the five stripes logo, can you explain what this particular logo means?
BOND: The five stripes mean multiple things to us: It is how we kept count when we were younger and during World War II when bombers completed successful missions they’d put the marks on their planes.
INSIDER: You have a prior relationship with the LA Galaxy through David Beckham. Did that help facilitate this collaboration?
BOND: It was a definite way in because they were familiar with my work. Even just walking around, I see people that I remember from when I was working with David and bringing stuff to him down at training sessions. It’s very easy.
INSIDER: You use Galaxy defenders Omar Gonzalez and A.J. DeLaGarza as the models of the line, why did you choose them to represent your brand?
BOND: Both players are young and what Undefeated is all about. Watching David past the torch to Omar as the next guy to lead the Galaxy and A.J. being the guy right behind him, we tagged those two as the players that represented us the best.
Adam Serrano is the LA Galaxy Insider. Read his blog at LAGalaxy.com/Insider and contact him at LAGalaxyInsider@Gmail.com
