A concept kit that went viral was made for real

A few months ago, a freelance graphic designer, aka rglr, designed a jersey for the Philippines national team, a team that is not so well known and has never played a World Cup. In spite of the lack of blazon, the jersey went viral on social media, garnering many comments of approval as well as likes and shares. Nothing strange many jerseys often go viral with fans around the world asking their respective brands to make them a reality and this time it really happened. The concept designed by rglr has bewitched everyone and JerseyBird, a sports brand founded in 2019, contacted the national team to ensure that the jerseys designed did not just remain on their instagram feed. And there couldn't have been a better time for this request given that since January 2023, the Philippines Football Federation had been without a technical sponsor while the women's team had just signed with adidas. And the federation immediately jumped at the chance and exploiting the virality asked Jerseybird not only to become their technical sponsor but to make that concept into a kit in a manner faithful to the original. And after the requests, the jersey made its debut a few days ago against Kuwait.

The concept takes inspiration from the Sinulog festival which is one of the biggest in the Philippines and takes place every year on the third Sunday in January. On that day, the streets of the city come alive with extraordinary colours, like a kaleidoscope, and this is where the designer got the idea from. The colourful feathers adorning the shirt are in fact a reference to the Philippine holiday and the same idea was used for the goalkeeper's kit, made in black with feathers in purple, pink and green.

This is not the first time a similar case has arisen, the story between JerseyBird and the Philippines national team has a very similar precedent involving another brand and another national team. We are talking about Egypt and the concept with hieroglyphics that has long been depopulated on every social platform, so much so that it convinced a brand to make it a reality. Icarus, another famous sports brand in the USA, saw that concept a few years ago and decided to actually produce it, thus creating a jersey for a nation known for its history and culture. The jersey, however, unlike the one for the Philippines never made its debut on the playing field, Egypt being sponsored by PUMA. This makes the Philippines jersey and JerseyBird a completely unique case and a story with a happy ending that we are not used to hearing often.