Seven of the ten MLS teams will unveil newly-designed
uniforms for the '97 season. Reebok will have new looks for
the New England Revolution and Colorado Rapids, while Nike
unveils changes for the NY/NJ MetroStars, Dallas Burn, San
Jose Clash, L.A. Galaxy and Tampa Bay Mutiny. Reebok Int'l
Apparel Product Manager/Soccer Katie Monahan said Reebok
"obviously had retail in mind" for the changes, which she
said involve a "cleaner, more authentic sporting goods
look." Nike Dir of PR Jim Small: "We wanted to go with
something that had a little more of a traditional look."
MLS Exec VP Randy Bernstein: "In year two, the uniform
suppliers have had an opportunity to evaluate the uniforms
and have fine-tuned in some cases, and in other cases made
some dramatic changes, but we think it will enhance the look
of Major League Soccer" (THE DAILY).
PRESENTING ALTERNATIVES: While adidas did not change
the current uniforms of the K.C. Wizards, Columbus Crew or
D.C. United, they did add an alternate jersey to each team,
and are rolling out "training jerseys" to retail at a price
of $35. Reebok is also rolling out a third jersey for the
Revolution. Bernstein told THE DAILY the alternate jerseys,
which could be worn for "special events," were "not
necessarily built around merchandising. ... Would we be able
to benefit from some additional merchandise sales because of
it? The answer is 'yes,' but for the most part it wasn't
done entirely with sales in mind." Kris Leeper, Product
Line Manager/Licensed Apparel for adidas, said they "felt no
need" to make any changes to the original jerseys at this
time. Leeper: "We started out to create a totally unique
personalized look for each team, and the team and the fans
are very adamant that they keep a certain look to get a
tradition going" (THE DAILY).
DISTRIBUTIVE PROPERTIES: MLS' Bernstein spoke on the
league's merchandise distribution, adding, "Last year we
wanted to make sure that the sell-through was thorough and
it was. We wanted to make sure we created a high demand for
the product and there was. In year two, we want to make
sure that we keep the demand for the product, yet increase
the distribution channels so our product is available to
many more segments of the population. ... We feel our
distribution will be much stronger from in-stadium
concessions to merchandise catalogs to soccer specialty
stores and retail department stores" (THE DAILY).
