Fans will be flashing some new threads around Crew Stadium in the near future as the result of an exclusive partnership between the Crew, Major League Soccer and locally-owned clothing brand HOMAGE. To help celebrate the Black & Gold's 15th season at Crew Stadium, the limited edition time capsule line consists of 1,500 unique items.
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The three entities worked together for the past three months to develop a line that embodies everything the Crew and HOMAGE brands represent. Building off an existing relationship with Crew supporters, HOMAGE jumped at the chance to tell the story of Columbus' first championship-winning franchise.
"We had done a lot of stuff for the Crew's supporters groups like the 'Columbus til I Die' and the 'Glory to Columbus' shirts the past couple of years and we wanted to have a closer partnership with the Crew," HOMAGE Director of Marketing Nate Ellis said at the line's exclusive launch party at HOMAGE's Easton store on Thursday evening. "Our whole thing is telling great stories with t-shirts. Being the first team to win a championship in the city of Columbus and being one of the first Major League Soccer franchises are great elements in the wheel house of what we like to do with a shirt."
The result of the partnership between the Crew, MLS and HOMAGE is a line of unique, limited edition t-shirt designs that portray everything that the Black & Gold supporters' battle cry of being "Massive" is all about.
"It's great being in Columbus, a lot of outsiders I don't think really realize how great of a town this is," Ellis explained. "Something like the Columbus Crew and being 'Massive' exudes sort of the mindset of most people in Columbus and that's how we approach our brand as well. We tell stories, but it's also about appearing larger than life at times -- and sometimes those are the best stories to tell."
"The line is a great combination of the Crew brand and the HOMAGE signature design," Mike Malo, the Crew's Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing added. "It's very unique and that's what makes it a special, limited edition type of collectors item. I think fans are going to love it."
The line was made available to the public on Friday at noon, both online and in-store. Fans will also be able to purchase the exclusive line at Crew matches, starting with Saturday's clash against D.C. United at Crew Stadium.
If the players' impressions of the new time capsule line are any indication, fans will surely love the new apparel.
"It's simple," Crew midfielder Ethan Finlay said. "Like the Crew, we have our style and we know what we're about."
"We're not flashy. I think that is what kind of defines this line. It's very simple, but it looks good. It's fashionable."
