Last month, the Vancouver-based Herschel Supply released its Major League Baseball (MLB) collection featuring all 30 clubs in two signature backpack silhouettes. This was Herschel Supply’s third collaboration with MLB but the first to feature all 30 teams and be widely distributed in the U.S.
“We started with limited engagement, with just a few clubs, and what we both found is that our respective fans and customers really loved the collaboration. They loved the Herschel brand and everything they stand for and the product they made and also, at the same time, were huge baseball fans. It just made sense to do a much larger release,” said Noah Garden, Major League Baseball Executive Vice President of Business.
The groundbreaking collection was designed for and inspired by the MLB fans. “This collaboration is much more for the (MLB) fan than just fashion. We really took into account the needs and wants of those fans going to the stadium,” said Jamie Cormack, co-founder of Herschel Supply.
The two backpack silhouettes are available in game-ready Home and Away color renditions and logo combinations for each MLB team. Both of these silhouettes feature MLB and Herschel Supply woven labels, along with screen printed team logos. The Packable Daypack collapses into an internal pocket for convenient game day storage. The Heritage backpack, which is the brands most popular, is a timeless carrying option with modern features, including a 15” laptop sleeve and an internal media pocket with a headphone port.
“MLB is such an easy and fun team to work with,” said Cormack. “We’re able to be stadium wide with every major league team, and work with those teams individually and on a charitable level. It can really make an impact.”
Impact is something that MLB looks for when they decide to work with partners, especially when it comes to specialty retail. “Specialty retail is important to us,” said Garden. In the recent past, MLB has done collaboration with leading culture brands like Supreme and Roc Nation.
“We love when our partnerships target the younger demographic and something where there is a lot of passion for the brand because it lines up with our fans who are very passionate about the teams they follow,” said Garden.
It’s clear that the passion for Herschel Supply is real. The company started in 2009 by Jamie and his brother Lyndon, and went for 0 to 72 countries in six years. “Our goal is to continue to push forward, innovate and bring new categories to market. How can we (Herschel Supply) be a disrupter in ever category we move into,” said Cormack.
The timing on Jamie’s comments is fitting as Herschel has recently announced that they will be expanding into apparel this June with a launch of windbreakers and raincoats.
The complete 30-team Herschel Supply for MLB collection will also be available at herschel.com and MLBShop.com. The Packable Daypack is $34.99 and the Heritage backpack is $69.99.
For this post, Marc Cheatham interviewed Jamie Cormack of Herschel Supply and Noah Garden of MLB. You can follow Cheats work on HuffPost and also The Cheats Movement Blog.