In Partnership with Klarna, ACFC Fans Can Own a Physical Piece of History through Environmentally Sustainable Fashion Produced by LA's Suay Sew Shop with 10% of Profits to Benefit the Downtown Women's Center
LOS ANGELES (May 11, 2023) – Angel City Football Club (ACFC) and Founding Partner Klarna, a leading global payments provider and shopping service, today announced the launch of an exclusive merchandise capsule collection in an effort to bring more fan merchandise to women's sports. Working closely on design and production with one of the leaders in sustainable fashion and advocacy in LA, the Suay Sew Shop, the merchandise is made from 100% upcycled and recycled materials.
The three-item collection - a windbreaker, bucket hat and fanny pack - is now available for fans exclusively on Klarna for 24 hours HERE and will be available more widely across www.AngelCity.com starting Friday, May 12. Fans who purchase an item from the collection with Klarna through the launch weekend - May 11-May 14 - will receive $10 off their order.
Each item in the collection incorporates pieces of the fabric from the custom tifo that read “Un Nuevo Amanecer” (A New Dawn) unveiled by ACFC supporters at its first-ever game on April 29, 2022, at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles - a first for any soccer team in the United States. A tifo is a visual display by a team's supporters of any choreographed flag, sign, or banner, typically unveiled just before kick-off as a way to show their support and dedication to their team.
In collaboration with Klarna, Angel City FC will continue to call upon its network to donate clothing to the Downtown Women's Center throughout the year. Building on last year's community partnership, 10% of the merchandise sales will go to supporting the Downtown Women's Center’s social enterprise, MADE by DWC Resale Boutique, which focuses on promoting a circular economy of sustainable fashion while empowering women in Los Angeles to break the cycle of homelessness through employment. Klarna will continue its work of supporting the LA community and inspiring sustainable shopping habits by matching this donation of sales.
"This opportunity to bring together our impact work, our partners, and the incredible ACFC Supporter Groups is so special. We are privileged to co-create the “A New Dawn” collection that will let people literally wear a piece of history forever, while also driving sustainable practices and supporting our partners at the Downtown Women's Center," said Catherine Dávila, Head of Community at ACFC. "From the beginning, we have built this club around impact, so we know fans will be proud to don this special collection and rep our shared values for years to come."
“Klarna and ACFC's partnership has been centered around leveling up the fan experience through innovative shopping opportunities while keeping a focus on sustainability. This capsule collection brings the two together perfectly while highlighting a special piece of the team’s history," said Megan Gokey, Klarna's Head of B2C Marketing & Brand Partnerships, North America. "Klarna is committed to making a positive impact on planet health, and empowering our 150 million consumers to make more informed purchase decisions. Circular shopping and upcycling clothing can have a major impact towards reducing waste. Working together with ACFC and Suay, this collection allows fans to participate in the circular economy and encourages them to be more sustainably conscious while supporting their favorite team."
Member of the Pandemonium Supporter Group, and the artist behind the tifo design, Sofia Roman Lopez shared what this process has meant to them: “Un nuevo amanecer translates to a new dawn, a new awakening. The tifo displays the amount of love and energy that we as Supporters have for our team. Designing the tifo, I thought that it would live for that one moment in the stadium. But now, to see it get a new life, and to see people actually wearing something that I helped put together, it means the world to me.”
"In another first, we could not be more excited about this collaboration with Klarna, Suay Sew Shop, and our incredible supporter groups for not only helping bring sustainable fashion to our fans, but doing it in such a special, authentic, intentional way," said Julie Uhrman, Founder and President, Angel City Football Club.
Klarna, now in its second season as a Founding Partner to Angel City FC, continues to offer fans an innovative way to shop, pay and support their favorite team. Along with being integrated as a payment partner on ACFC's online store, the payments solution and shopping service leader launched its first capsule collection last season with the lifestyle brand re-inc.
This collection also follows several recent initiatives led by Klarna to provide consumers with the tools and insights they need to shop more consciously and enact positive change for the planet. Klarna recently introduced "Shop Circular'' Collections, spotlighting brands with circular services to reduce waste and maximize the use of products; launched a conscious badges enabling users to access information on electronics brands environmental achievements; and unveiled significant upgrades to its CO2e tracker in the Klarna App, which provides shoppers worldwide with emissions data at a product level for nearly 60 million items in every step of the product's lifecycle.
"When we first received the tifo, I was overtaken by the size, but it got really exciting when we started to land on innovative ways to turn this giant celebratory banner into products that people could wear and continue to celebrate Angel City," said Lindsey Rose Medoff, Founder of Suay Sew Shop. "There's so much craft in the way that we cut up the fabric and used some unique sewing techniques to create super durable, super special, and super aesthetically-strong products that will last. We love how they turned out. Further, I am really moved that Angel City cares about reusing, is willing to put their money where their mouth is to actually recycle these products and offer their fans supporters options for true sustainability."
ABOUT ANGEL CITY FOOTBALL CLUB
Angel City Football Club (ACFC), a member of the National Women's Soccer League, is in its second season and calls BMO Stadium in downtown Los Angeles its home pitch. The team is founded by Academy Award-winning actress and activist Natalie Portman, technology venture capitalist Kara Nortman, media and gaming entrepreneur Julie Uhrman, and venture capitalist, 776 founder and Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian. Freya Coombe leads the team as the first-ever head coach and Olympian Angela Hucles Mangano is the team's General Manager.
Learn more about ACFC at www.angelcity.com and follow the team on social media @weareangelcity. Season tickets for the 2023 season are on sale now with limited quantities. Fans are encouraged to purchase sooner rather than later https://angelcity.com/tickets.
ABOUT ACFC OFFICIAL SUPPORTER GROUPS
There are six official Supporter Groups for Angel City FC, and together, they form “La Fortaleza”, one of the largest and most active Supporter sections in the NWSL. Each founded with a distinct mission and ethos, the groups come together to grow the sport and passionately celebrate their team and their community.
The six official SGs are:
Angel City Valkyries
Mosaic 1781
Pandemonium
PodeRosas
Rebellion 99, Inc.
Relentless Ladies
To learn more about the groups visit https://www.angelcity.com/community/supporter-groups
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