Last updated on September 27th, 2024
Are you all pumped up to cheer for your favorite team in Major League Soccer? As a fan, you can create personalized MLS gear for Game Day! With 29 MLS clubs playing 34 matches, including intra-conference and cross-conference games, the final promises to be thrilling! This blog includes details on how to style a soccer jersey or create custom clothing for MLS. So, keep scrolling to know more.
Game Day is a day when sports lovers can express their joy and enthusiasm for their favorite game. It is also a day to showcase sportsmanship. Spectators throng the stands and cheer their favorite teams. Stadiums are full of fans, and you can sense the spirit of the game in the atmosphere.
Major League Soccer, or MLS, is a league-approved by the United States Soccer Federation. Its headquarters is in Midtown Manhattan. The league is among the most popular men’s premier national soccer leagues in the USA and Canada.
The league becomes a significant attraction during Games Day, which is observed on December 20th to emphasize the significance of games. The day was created by Games Workshop, the British game production company that was in retail business as well.
With a personalized MLS jersey, other football clothing, shoes, and other gear, you can express your love and zeal for your favorite soccer team on the day. That’s a great way to weave a thread of unforgettable memories.
Why Customize Your MLS Gear?
If you are a soccer lover, you must also be a fan of an MLS team. You might be rooting for your favorite team whenever it goes to the field.
Here are some key reasons for customizing your MLS gear.
Personal Connection
Building a personal connection with the team and their game becomes much easier with personalized MLS gear. Wearing a jersey of your favorite MLS team stimulates you to be active during the tournament, especially when your team is playing a match.
With a personalized design printed on your MLS apparel, you are charged up to a part of the Games Day and the team of your choice. So you can easily establish a personal connection with the event.
For example, you can get a favorite quote printed on your jersey. Or, your player’s team jersey number will offer a personal experience when showcased on your hoodie or t-shirt.
Uniqueness
Another reason for having personalized MLS gear, such as jerseys, is that you can present yourself uniquely during the Games Day. You will be noticed instantly in the crowd as an excited fan wearing a unique jersey supporting your favorite team.
Showcasing Team Pride
You must be a great fan of your MLS team and are proud of its records. With personalized MLS gear, you display your pride in your team. Use traditional design elements of your team’s jersey and wear it with confidence. That makes the Games Day tournament and cheering up your team a memorable event for you. You can explore soccer fashion trends to dress up accordingly.
Choosing the Right Apparel for Customization
The first thing to consider when designing personalized MLS soccer apparel is picking the right one. You have many apparel options, such as jerseys, hoodies, jackets, hats, caps, and accessories like bags, scarves, and socks.
Ensure that the fabric quality of the apparel is just perfect. It should be a durable fabric, which is easily customizable when stitching a design or the logo of your soccer team.
Fabric color also matters when creating unique custom MLS jerseys for Game Day. You should prefer light-color fabrics that look vibrant in prints. Think of picking a style that looks unique.
Choose brands that allow for easier customization. For instance, PrintShop by Designhill lets you create unique designs.
The apparel fabric should be such that it is easily compatible with any printing technique of your choice.
Design Inspiration for Custom MLS Gear
Before you start designing personalized MLS gear for Game Day, it would be helpful to get some ideas and inspiration. When thinking about how to style a soccer jersey, visit online or a physical store where MLS journeys and other related sports products are displayed. Look at their design, colors, and use of other elements. That will inspire you to develop a unique MLS gear with a personalized design.
Here is what you can do to have soccer clothing ideas:
Use retro elements
You can incorporate retro elements from a bygone era on your MLS jersey design to make it look different. Bold colors, graphics from the past era, and funky fonts are typical elements you can try out for soccer team clothing. That also is a way to pay homage to the legendary soccer players from the past.
Retro designs are timeless in their appeal. They remind viewers of the 70s and 80s and provoke powerful emotions and memories of that era.
Explore city skyline
Get inspiration from the skyline, which looks magnificent and intimidating. When printed on your MLS jersey and other gear, the skyline will also become a symbol of domination and vector. Your Game Day personal clothing will be a reminder of your team’s home city.
You can also think of including your city’s memorable landmarks to establish a connection between soccer loves and your favorite team.
Personalize with geometric patterns
Geometric patterns are modern design elements that look impressive. Your MLS fan gear can have prints of triangles, stripes, and hexagons. These are versatile patterns that give a modern look to the gear.
You have endless creative options while using geometric patterns. Mix and match different shapes to have a unique visual brand identity for your MLS team. For instance, integrate your team logo with a geometric pattern to create your MLS apparel design.
Incorporate nature-based graphics
Nature-based graphics are another source of inspiration that you should explore when designing your MLS gear for Game Day. The outdoor elements, such as trees, mountains, waves, etc., give a fresh look to any design, including your jersey design.
You can make good use of these graphics to connect your favorite MLS team to the environment and showcase resilience. Also, your team will feel well-grounded wearing seeing fans wearing jerseys with nature-based elements.
Besides these inspirations, consider using characters from comic books, elements from tribal artistry, futuristic tech aesthetics, pop art, the animal kingdom and space exploration. You can even use such elements to design MLS hats and accessories.
Step-by-Step Guide to Customizing Your Gear
When customizing your MLS gear to make it look exclusively yours, you should consider some of its aspects. Here are some essential tips:
Sketch the jersey’s theme
Start customizing your MLS gear by first sketching them. Your MLS jersey will have its unique look and impression. So, first, sketch its shape and elements. Even when you create custom socks, make sketches first.
Ensure you sketch the jersey’s contours and features, such as stripes and patterns. Set a place for the MLS logo as well. The logo should also be there when you create custom hoodies or other clothing pieces.
Include some fine details in the sketches while refining them. So, decide on the collar design, intricate graphics, sleeve patterns, etc.
While sketching, try different color combinations using colored pencils so that the design has a personality and gets a life.
Then, find out if the sketch requires any revisions. Make sure that the sketch you finalize looks a coherent visual and has an appeal.
Use a design software
Once you are done with the sketching part of designing personalized MLS gear, start using design software.
The software will help refine your MLS jersey’s outlines to make them look proportional and clean.
You can also bring in different color schemes to know which is best to give your jersey a personalized look. Test different color combinations.
Use the design software to your advantage by digitally including finer elements and textures.
After finalizing your jersey’s digital design, create its different mock-ups. That helps visualize the jersey with the design.
Refine the design and get feedback
Remember to share your sketches with your friends and experts. They might come up with some helpful improvements. Your coaches, team members, and others are experienced people who can suggest some elements you can add to the design. Also, you can use social media to reach out to people for feedback.
Ensure that your sketch and final design have finer details, which makes it perfect and appealing. Get feedback also when designing custom hair accessories related to the game.
Choose a suitable fabric
When the design work is complete, it is time to select the right type of fabric. There are many fabric options you can explore for jersey production. Mostly, polyester and blended fabrics are the best choices for printing the design.
Polyester fabric is mostly used for its durability and breathable qualities. It should also have moisture-wicking properties. That is why polyester is the preferred fabric for soccer jerseys.
Blend fabrics are a mix of two to have a balanced fabric for durability, flexibility, and comfort. Such fabrics are mostly polyester blends and help enhance sports people’s performance in the field.
Go to the reliable manufacturers that are known for providing high-quality sportswear. The manufacturers should be capable of customizing the jersey per your brief. Also, choose those manufacturers that can deliver you the MLS gear per the agreed timeline.
Showcasing Your Custom pieces
After designing your MLS gear, including your jersey, you should showcase it online and offline. You can use social media to take your gear design to the audience. That also helps in getting some suggestions for improvement.
Find out which online and offline platforms you can explore. But be consistent when presenting your gear design.
When designing and personalizing MLS gear for Game Day, you should think of these key considerations. Don’t forget to explore MLS organizations, such as MLS WORKS, and support groups, like LAFC 3552 and Timbers Army to check their clothing and drive inspiration from them.
Wrapping Up
There are MLS organizations, such as MLS WORKS, and support groups, like LAFC 3552 and Timbers Army, that can be your inspiration for designing personalized MLS gear. When designing your MLS jersey, make sketches, use design software, and choose the right fabric to cheer up your favorite team.