On June 6, four Toronto Football Club players unveiled their custom-designed shirts in collaboration with Adidas in a private party on the top floor of The Burroughes Building.
Written by Noah Goad
Photos by Tobias Wang
The evening kicked off with a live DJ and time to mingle as guests were served complimentary cocktails. Eventually, the event progressed into the shirt reveal, where the four soccer stars unveiled their designs and explained the method behind their madness.
“It’s amazing to have a shirt that I can call my own,” said Alex Bono after the unveiling. “It was really special—a first for me.” Bono’s shirt, which drew inspiration from several streetwear brands, is a long sleeve shirt which features a hooded figure draped in shadows along with the phrase “Pulse of the city,” on the front.
Toronto native Ashtone Morgan also unveiled his custom shirt to the crowd, which featured the phrase “Toronto. Our City,” written across the front in graffiti–style letters.
“Being a local boy, I get to represent the city,” Morgan said. “I am the city.”
Hometown style
The two other players releasing their creations were Eriq Zavaleta and Jonathan Osorio.
“I’ve been with Adidas now, for six years, and they’ve treated me incredibly over the course of my career,” Zavaleta said. “For me to express myself and express my personality through their outlet is something that’s humbling.”
Zavaleta opted for a collegiate style design with roots from his home state of Indiana. The shirt features a torch drawn from the Indiana state flag. Connected to the torch is three stripes leading towards a maple leaf, representing his journey to Toronto.
Osorio, also known as Oso, opted for a bear on the front of his shirt as Oso in Spanish translates to bear. This represents his relentless personality and his Spanish roots. Behind the bear is a maple leaf to represent Osorio’s home of Canada.
This was more than just a creative outlet for the four players, this was a dream come true.
“You never imagine doing this stuff,” Osorio said. “To be able to design my own shirt and to sell it to the public for a good cost, it’s amazing.”
The four shirts were available for purchase after the unveiling with a portion of the proceeds going to MLSE LaunchPad.
All four shirts are now available for purchase here.
