By now, you’ve surely seen The Performance Crew “plakking” stickers all around town, and we love to see it! It’s loud, it’s uplifting, and it's unmistakably Mustlovehills.
I believe this to be our best design yet, but also the one I had the most fun with! It’s layers of relatable running things, mostly snacks, a few supportive messages, and personal sayings that you’ll hear from some of the crew members at any given training session. And if there’s anyone flashing a camera, it’s most likely Faizel, the king of selfies, who’s yet to join social media. It’s pretty “hectic” how many people we can get into a group photo, and that you can hear “stay in your lane” go around as much as there are kudos post-track-attack. The print is impactful at a glance, but once you get close up, you’ll notice the many elements on it that make MLH special. Ultimately, what we aim to capture with any Must Love Hills merch, is the culture of the crew itself!
Although I contributed screen-time to the StickerBomb print, it’s a concept that I cannot take all the credit for. Our captain, the much loved Mike, has about as many ideas as he has energy. We’re frequently bouncing suggestions around and one day, sitting across from him and the laptop that’s undoubtedly his - bombed out with everything Mike is passionate about (Fullsend, Jack Black, CTC, etc) - the idea developed.
My design process first involves scribbles and notes where my brain runs off with the concept, and I just put a visual idea of some elements I want to include onto paper. I do the rest digitally where each sticker is an individual artwork that I place on top of each other, trying to make it look unintentional. Following Mike’s brief, “I want it to look like a Berlin Toilet door”, we slapped even more stickers on there. Between jelly beans and stars, our community and everything we’re passionate about, was collaged onto the ’24 kit. There are also references to Confetti and Doodles - the predecessors of this kit - and some things we just considered cool! This shirt is particularly special as a collaborative effort with graphic designs from fellow crew member, Chloe Lucas, and creative genius Carmen Coetzer also appearing in the final design.
ASICS, a brand MLH partnered with last year, because we all love that new shoe feeling and the “sound mind, sound body” ethos they stand for, is emblazoned brightly on the shoulder of our design, but also in smaller details throughout the overall découpage. Aside from this, and the MLH signature green, the only other bright colour featured is the MLH badge - proud, in purple and hot pink. Another exciting collab has been with GILNOKIE where we designed a collection of “supportive” socks that pairs perfectly with the fresh new kit. There are three colourways, each with a hashtag that’s become synonymous with MLH, drawn across the back of them.
It’s a fun kit and a nod to the fact that we “just wanna have a jol”, but don’t get us wrong, The StickerBomb T is a technical shirt to help you push the limits as you work towards your running goals. In fact, it’s even appeared on a few podiums since its launch, something we don’t believe to be a coincidence. After a PB sell out of the first drop, the second batch is available on the site. Rumor has it that people who're yet to run with MLH, are already repping the latest kit of the cool kids, and well, we’ll take that as a compliment.
As a bridal designer by day, this is such a different creative process for me, but a really fun way to play with graphics which I enjoy more with every project. It’s cheer-zone levels of special to be trusted with a custom design for a community that means so much to me. And the response from the crew members has been so rewarding too.
Still have a shirt on your wishlist? Let’s change that, and if you’re looking good already, let me know which are your favourite quirks captured on the kit.
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