THE ROOTED KIT

Project Responsibilities

• Brand Lead 

• Jersey Design and Development Lead 

• Narrative Development

• Art Direction Support

• Executive Producer (Hero Video)

• Digital and Channel Strategy 

• Go-to-market Strategy 

• Visual Merchandising

• Creative Asset Management

• Project Management 

Project Details

• "The Rooted Kit" the Club's secondary jersey for the 2026 and 2027/2028 seasons launched on February 10, 2026

• The kit brings Austin's natural beauty to life with a new color story, new pattern and a completely new material construction

• Inspired by the aquatic greens of our rivers and springs, the lush flora and fauna found on the greenbelt, a new take on VERDE was born . Like the oak trees that symbolize the city's strength, this kit stands as a tribute to Austin's resilient outdoor spirit 

• Content capture started a year in advance, knowing we had to capture Austin in full bloom 

• Our approach to storytelling was unique, focusing on elements driven by art. More emotional, allowing us to deeply connect us to Austinites 

• The story was told through product, design, video and photo, bringing the outdoors to the audience in the digital space

• Video VO featured a poem commissioned by the 61st Texas Poet Laureate, Amanda Johnston, titled "Rooted in Austin" 

• The supporting track for the video featured a string quartet from the Austin Symphony Orchestra 

• Supplemental content highlighted Austin FC first team players and cultural stakeholders 

• Jersey was best performing during the pre-sale window, surpassing all pre-sale windows of previous Club kits 

• Unique visual merchandising included live plants installed at The VERDE Store to fully engage the consumer

*imagery by Jacob Gonzalez