While “American football” for many signifies the beloved pigskin sport, designer Kenny Mac wants to reclaim the term to elevate soccer’s presence in the U.S. with a new streetwear brand of the same name.
Mac, who previously worked at StockX and has consulted for brands such as Fenty x Puma and Union LA, launched American Football this month to merge sports and streetwear influences and to appeal to the U.S. soccer fan. Mac explained he was inspired to create the brand after supporting his 14-year-old son through his experience playing the sport and seeing how soccer still lacked the recognition it deserved in the U.S. despite its global popularity.
“In just engaging in [soccer] and going through this with him, I really started to see the switch of talent and interest in the sport — like, what I remember it being when I was a kid versus seeing who is on these pitches now,” Mac said. “It’s more diverse. We had a rap for it being a rich kid sport, but it’s becoming more diverse socioeconomically, too, and you’re just seeing really great talent and young kids that are coming up in this next wave.”
American Football launched with its first drop this month, which offers three graphic T-shirts and three hoodies ranging in price $60 to $135. Several styles are designed to read “This Is a Football” with a soccer ball motif, giving a nod to the brand’s mission of reclaiming what is American football.
“The brand is really tapping into youth culture in the U.S.,” Mac said. “It is a streetwear brand, so it’s rough around the edges. It’s not polished. It’s not super pretty and it really is tapping into that L.A. aesthetic of streetwear.”
A campaign image for American Football.
Courtesy of American Football
Mac said American Football’s next drop, which comes out this summer, offers the brand’s take on a soccer kit. While soccer jerseys have become a popular style in the streetwear world lately, American Football wants to really tap into the sport for the drop.
“Some brands are off doing the rinse, wash and repeat kit and they’re not really tapped into the culture or the sport like that,” he said. “They’re just like, ‘Oh soccer jerseys are hot so I’m going to make a jersey.’ I’m really excited for when this next drop comes out because it’s our play on [a soccer kit] and you see that we’re doing it a little differently and we’re making a mark on the sport and in the space itself.”
In the lead up to next year’s FIFA World Cup, which will be played in North America, Mac thinks soccer’s popularity in the U.S. will only increase, with more countries looking to the States as space to watch for rising talent.
“The most sold football jersey globally is a Miami jersey right now, so it’s happening,” he said. Lionel Messi, arguably the sport’s most popular player, is on the Inter Miami team. “The world is watching the U.S. right now and the U.S. is making noise. When you have the youngest U.S. pro athlete in history being a Major League Soccer player, you’re starting to see it. When you have kids now in the U.S. being shipped overseas to go play in the English Premier League — they’re realizing that this thing is actually happening in this country in a real way and the athletes are really starting to play.”
Beyond the summer collection drop, Mac said he hopes American Football grows into a lifestyle brand that becomes a go-to destination for soccer fans to learn more about the sport and have a way to show their fandom through their fashion.
