The Brooklyn Circus

Task: approached by the Brooklyn Circus (a high-end menswear brand based in Brooklyn, NYC) to design a jersey that paid homage to the island of Haiti. At the heart of Haitian culture is love, history, spirituality, art, football (soccer) and politics; the inspiration was a combination of all of these elements.

Approach and Rationale: Two colorways were created for these jerseys; one in orange (soup joumou) and the other in tan. Soup Joumou, also known as the Haitian Independence soup or Freedom soup is a hearty pumpkin (or squash) soup that is traditionally served on January 1st to commemorate Haiti’s independence from France in 1804. The soup was once a delicacy reserved for white enslavers but forbidden to the enslaved people who cooked it. Given the the historical significance of the soup, it served as the primary inspiration for the first design. The second design in tan uses a colour palette that connects it to Haiti’s incredible coastline and beaches. The repeat pattern is of the island itself, printed all over the jersey.