Guillermo Andrade is a noted soccer (or football, if you’d prefer) fan. The 424 founder grew up watching his father play professionally in Guatemala, and when Andrade himself was older he played both club soccer and at the collegiate level. Fans of his design work often notice the soccer references in the in-line and collaborative pieces he creates, and now he’s added to the latter category with a long-sleeve jersey made in partnership with Michelob ULTRA. An unofficial homage to the 2022 FIFA World Cup, the jersey is inspired by the camaraderie soccer fans share, and features logo placements inspired by Europe’s Premier League plus various national football associations. The details don’t stop there though, as half-tone textures and heat transfer graphics nod further to classic kit design. Hypebeast chatted with Andrade about his “unofficial” World Cup-inspired design.
What’s your relationship to soccer and your earliest soccer memory?
I’ve always been passionate about soccer – it’s my first love and a huge part of who I am. Growing up, I played club for eight years and later in college. My dad would take me to watch him train at the stadium in Guatemala, where he played. He would sit me on his motorcycle behind the net and I would watch, completely captivated by the sound of the ball hitting the net. If you know the game of soccer, you’ll be able to see the soccer references in my work.
Where did the pattern and color inspiration on the jersey come from?
Michelob ULTRA and I wanted to honor the legacy and camaraderie soccer brings to fans around the world. The jersey has a half-tone texture (a JPG nod) with heat transfer graphics in the background. The passion fans bring to the game is unmatched – which is why this limited-edition, unofficial jersey serves as a reminder that “it’s only worth it if you enjoy it.”
What made you want to do a long-sleeve jersey?
Back when I fell in love with soccer, long-sleeve kits were so cool and popular! Given it’s the first-ever winter World Cup, I thought what better way than to go with the long sleeve style?
Does working on an “unofficial” jersey give you a greater sense of freedom? It seems as if you wouldn’t be bound by club tradition as much, if at all
These projects are always a fun challenge and collaborating with Michelob ULTRA was a unique experience. What makes it awesome is that we were able to come up with a cool kit, taking inspiration from a game I love. So I dive deep with the references and make sure that if you look at the details you can read into my personal story with the garment. It’s a design that and soccer fans everywhere and I would be proud to rock.
What’s your all-time favorite World Cup jersey?
My favorite player is Ronaldinho Gaúcho and my favorite jersey is his World Cup kit 2002 LONG SLEEVE!
The Guillermo Andrade x Michelob ULTRA soccer jersey is available now via the Shop Beer Gear webstore. It’s priced at $100 USD.
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