by Matt DeLaere, Marketing
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| [Images from http://twitter.com/Uniformswag] | ||
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Music fans are well aware that members of the band Kiss are not known for subtle understatement. Whether it’s their music, their clothing (and face paint), or their marketing, these guys love it loud (see what I did there?). And they’re not afraid of a little self-promotion, lending their name and likenesses to products from dolls to caskets to football teams.
Wait, caskets? Wait, wait, wait, football teams?!? Ok, there’s only one (how could there possibly be more than one) – the Los Angeles Kiss of the Arena Football League play their first game this weekend. The team, owned by band members Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons, recently unveiled their uniforms and they look hot. Literally, actually.
The main design element of the uniform is an actual classical element – fire. Yes, flames adorn the jersey shoulders and number, as well as the team helmet, including the facemask (and visor, apparently). As if all this fire wasn’t quite flamboyant enough (again, literally), the helmets have a chrome base, making them even more eye-catching. Yesterday we had a blog post which mentioned the recent use of chrome in sports uniforms. Well, we never saw this coming.
Personally, I think the helmet looks pretty cool, but I’ll leave the flaming shoulders up to others to decide. And sure, the flame-filled numbers might be unique for a professional team, but did you know that you can get a similar effect with CAD-PRINTZ® text and number effects?
In addition to camouflage, plaid, animal prints, and sports textures, among others, there’s a “Hotrod” fill effect which features flames on a black background. In the CAD-PRINTZ Effects Wizard, simply choose “Special Effects” on the Fill FX tab and you’ll be able to apply this scorching effect to your text or numbers.
So, next time a customer wants a hot look for T-shirts for his band, hats for his football team, or bags for his hotrod club, you’ll know where to find one.
As for the LA Kiss, if their uniforms are any indication, they certainly won’t be boring.
Hey,I have a sports organization in Virginia Beach, Virginia. I love those uniforms and would love to have that look to bring here. I carry 5 Football teams ages 4 to 13. I’ve been established since 2010 and coaching over 16yrs. I have 6 basketball teams ages 7- 14 boys and girls. Now I want to bring baseball and would love to get that look. Please email with your response.
Hi Rodney,
There are several ways to achieve a similar look. A flame print on the jersey can be achieved with printable heat transfer material (Stahs’ SuperTEK™ Sublistop™ prints vivid colors while inhibiting the jersey’s colors from bleeding through) or through the use of dye sublimation. A flame pattern for the helmet can be created with custom stickers, and the number fill effect can be achieved with digital printing, whether done as a custom job on a print/cut machine or ordered (for example, Stahls’ offers CAD-PRINTZ® digital number effects).
The company that currently applies logos and numbers to your teams’ jerseys should be able to offer these options, or you can check with local sport shops and garment decorators to find an option that fits your needs. Show this blog post to your decorator and suggest the products listed above.
Once the uniforms are done, we’d love to see them!