ATLANTA, GA – In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, which runs September 15 – October 15, CLC, the leading collegiate licensing and branding agency, worked with international sports and lifestyle brand New Era Cap and top Hispanic lifestyle artists to create a unique merchandise collection for 17 universities.
The special collection, now in its third year, pays homage to Hispanic culture through customized designs produced by acclaimed national and regional artists, including returning artists Mister Cartoon, David Flores, ABSTRK, Ignacio Sanchez, Los Otros, Daniel Anguilu, as well as new additions street artist Jari “Werc” Alvarez (known as Graffiti Shaman) from El Paso, and conceptual artist Gera Lozano, both from Brooklyn, New York.
“The Hispanic Heritage Collection was developed to provide an additional avenue for participating institutions to connect with their diverse student bodies and fans while also strengthening relationships with local communities,” said Ben Emmons, vice president of marketing at CLC. “The merchandise showcases the styles of each artist through brightly colored designs, stitching, unique fonts, fabrics and logo treatments that are not available in other collegiate licensed merchandise.”
Each artist was given complete creative independence with artwork, construction and fabrics for the product line, which includes headwear and apparel by New Era, as well as a limited apparel line by Original Retro Brand.
Participating institutions include Cal State San Bernardino, University of Texas at Austin, Texas A&M, University of Houston, University of New Mexico, New Mexico State, UNLV, Oklahoma State, San Diego State University, San Jose State, UC Irvine, Florida Atlantic, Fresno State, Texas State University, University of Texas El Paso, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, and University of Texas San Antonio.
To promote merchandise to consumers, universities developed a number of promotional activities, including:
- New Mexico State hosted a live mural painting with Jari “Werc” Alvarez who created a new work on a mobile canvas that traveled around campus from the tailgate zone to the stadium. Hispanic Heritage Collection merchandise was featured a stadium pop-up store next to the mural.
- Fresno State enlisted internationally known artist Mister Cartoon to design the school’s special Orgullo del Valle (Pride of the Valley) shirt for their Fiesta game against Sacramento State.
- University of Texas at San Antonio is working with artist Los Otros to create a live mural at the San Antonio Fashion awards on October 5. Hispanic Heritage Collection merchandise will also be highlighted on the red carpet an included in a runway show, which feature a video of the streetwear design creation.
The collection is available at participating university bookstores and mistercartoon.com.
To learn more about the Hispanic Heritage Collection and participating artists with videos, visit www.hispanicheritagecollection.com.
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About CLC
Collegiate Licensing Company (CLC) is part of Learfield IMG College, which unlocks the value of college sports for brands and fans through an omnichannel platform. The company’s extensive commerce, experiential and media solutions create ultimate opportunities for fan engagement. The Learfield IMG College suite of services includes licensing and multimedia sponsorship management; publishing, broadcasting, digital and social media; ticket sales and professional concessions expertise; branding; campus-wide business and sponsorship development; and venue technology systems. Headquartered in Plano, Texas, the company has long had the privilege of being an advocate for intercollegiate athletics and the student-athlete experience. Since 2008, it has served as title sponsor for the acclaimed Learfield IMG College Directors’ Cup, supporting athletic departments across all divisions.
About New Era Cap
New Era Cap Co., Inc. is an international lifestyle brand with an authentic sports heritage that dates back over 99 years. Best known for being the official on-field cap for Major League Baseball and the National Football League, New Era Cap is the brand of choice not only for its headwear collections, but also for its accessories and apparel lines for men, women and youth. The brand is worn as a symbol of self-expression by athletes, artists and some of the most interesting people around the globe. New Era Cap encourages people to truly express their personal style and individuality through its products. The Company is headquartered in Buffalo, NY and is marketed and distributed in over 125 countries through its affiliate offices in London, Tokyo, Paris, Hong Kong, Mexico City, Sao Paulo, Cologne, Shanghai, Barcelona, Seoul, Melbourne, Toronto, and Bologna. For more information, visit www.neweracap.com.