The Athletic spoke with Jesse Alvarez, Nike’s men’s basketball product manager, to find out how some of the most notable City Edition jerseys were designed and the details fans should look for when watching their teams play.
I want to start with the Spurs shirt. Can you walk me through the design and inspiration for this? Photo courtesy of the NBA. The Spurs, I think, as many remember, have one of the most iconic All Star Game uniforms that we’ve done, in the world of jersey culture. So you can see some pretty clear nods to it just in terms of color and atmosphere. That was really the focus for him, to be able to tie it. You asked about some of the details: I think the “SA” belt buckle and the Spur logos on the belt hook were like a really nice way to round it out and add a subtle detail to highlight the All Star uniform they were synonymous with. So I recognize the coloring for that when I look at these jerseys. The Pistons are green, a color I don’t usually associate with Pistons colors. What happened there? Detroit has an amazing history. One of the things about this story is Saint Cecilia. So St. Cecilia is really a place where players used to run and play pickup basketball. And so this color, green, is inspired by the real Saint Cecilia. This, combined with the iconic short patch detailing, really makes it look like a stained glass window or a handle that is inspired by the stained glass window featured in the St. Cecilia, with a 313 logo in the center of the way to combine these stories. Saint Cecilia’s mantra was “Where stars are made, they are not born.” So he’s just packaging that story to bring it to life. GO DEEPER Hesia. Magic. Gervin. How a Detroit church gym became the birthplace of legends Did you send people there to look at the gym and just walk through it? Yeah, so we actually work with the team, and so the team was there. They send us pictures, say so. Whatever we needed, we should be able to actually bring it to life. As with any outfit, it really starts with the team. They know their fan bases best. And that’s where all these inspiration points come from. Photo courtesy of the NBA. Do you have a favorite jersey? You know, it’s funny, I was just telling someone that it’s hard to have a lover. Especially, everyone feels like your children. But I think, right behind you, Chicago. I really like Chicago. I think how primary Y appears in various ways. And the symbology behind it, like the union of a city and how the Bulls in the center of the Y in side profile. I think this is a great representation of how a team is at the heart of a city. So Chicago is where I live. I liked the color scheme on the Timberwolves, but it’s obviously not something Wolves related. What is this; What makes it unique? One of the unique things about City Edition (jerseys) in general, before I answer your question, is that with any story from an organization, they can take it wherever they want to go. Thus, Minnesota is known as a creative hotspot for artists of all kinds. This (jersey) is a nod to some of the creative community. So one of the things that makes this outfit unique is that the design you see on the outfit is actually cut differently for each outfit. So every outfit is unique, the way every creative is unique in its own way. That’s how this story really comes to life. So you guys have like a big design of all these colors. Is each sample different for each outfit? Think of it more in terms of how when you think about how a suit is made, every piece is cut, so no two pieces are the same. So when they sew these things together, each outfit will be slightly different, just like a fingerprint. Photo courtesy of the NBA. I know that sometimes you collaborate not only with teams but also with specific individuals in the creation of the jerseys. Is there anyone worthy here to help you create, with the idea of some jerseys? Yes, Detroit is a great example. Big Sean is the creative director of the Pistons, so he’s someone who helped bring this to life. Right behind you, you have KITH with the New York Knicks. These are the two groups that come to mind. Just highlight some of the names that are also working with organizations to bring their kits to life in the city edition. I was watching the Hornets. This is the angriest hornet I have ever seen in my life. It is an aggressive hornet. Really nice story, I think, centering around the mint. So one of the cool things – I’m not sure if you were able to take a look at it – but the stripes are actually a nod to the Mint. The mint is, you know, the inspiration for this outfit. The gold lettering with mint trim just harkens back to the financial inspiration with the mint being located in Charlotte. Heat City Edition Jersey” width=”1022″ height=”1024″ /> Photo courtesy of the NBA. And lastly, I heard you talking about the Heat jersey. You can get me through this, especially the rope on the side. It seems to be a very nice detail. So if you’ve ever turned on a game for the Heat, you’ll see that there’s an actual yellow rope surrounding the cable. They use the yellow piping so they can be inspired by that yellow rope you’ll see throughout the game. Their concept is like the second chapter of the mashup they introduced last year. This year, they turned the color white and then took different elements from previous iconic elements of their identity and mashed them up to be able to have this custom look. So you’ll see elements of their Floridian, their white hot, vice versa. All these different kinds of stamps in time that make up the Heat organization, all mashed into one uniform. (All photos courtesy of the NBA)
