Behind the Design: RBNY x Daniel Patrick Kit
Sports and fashion have always gone hand-in-hand. With that in mind, the New York Red Bulls and luxury sportswear designer Daniel Patrick have teamed up to give the club a fresh look for 2023/24.
A couple of weeks ahead of the official release, we had the chance to meet up with Daniel Patrick in New York to give us insight into his fashion journey, what it was like to collaborate with the Red Bulls, and break down the details behind this new kit design. Amidst players posing with the jersey for media photos, we sat down with Daniel for a quick chat.
How did you first get into fashion?
I played rugby all throughout my childhood, and then at university. That was my main thing, but I was still just looking for my purpose in life. I got injured a few times playing rugby, and I was getting a little bit tired of playing, so I wanted to find something else that I could do that fit my personality.
I had a mentor I was working with at the time, and through all that, I realized that fashion was what I wanted to do. I figured that’s what I was good at and enjoyed. I was more interested in the appearance of things than the actual game of rugby – from the uniforms down to the boots. In rugby, we wear soccer boots, so I had a passion for the Premier League and looked into all the boots and styles coming out of that league. I always liked the style of things more than the playing aspect.
What were some of the steps that you took to get into the fashion world?
I knew nothing. All I knew is that I wanted to do fashion. So I went and took a fashion course in Sydney, and then got a job working in retail. I just tried to learn wherever I could.
How did you end up moving to the States?
I started the whole fashion stuff in 2006, and I made my first trip out to the States in 2008. I kept making trips back and forth – just inching closer and closer to moving. I eventually settled here in 2010. I had always wanted to move, and then I met my wife here, which made the decision a lot easier. We’re coming up on twelve years of marriage, and we get to work together, which is great. She runs the business, and I do the designing and production.
How did you start your line?
Much like I always start things, to be honest. I just have an idea and start working on it to bring it to life. Through that process, things kind of snowball, and a collection comes together. One piece leads to another piece, and as you make things, the hunger to keep improving and making more things just grows. That’s how it was with my line.
How did this collaboration with Adidas and the Red Bulls come to be?
We had a partnership with Adidas for three years prior to working on this kit. We were focused on basketball, so when our contract was coming to an end, we started to look at other options. One of the options that Adidas brought up was soccer. That interested me because I have a real passion for Adidas boots. I’ve always loved the Predators, and I really liked the F50s back in the day. I even have the earlier Predator models as a collection back home. So I always dreamed of getting to work in the soccer space, and I thought it was a great opportunity to get started with MLS.
On top of that, any time you create something, you want to make it better, cooler, or different than what’s come before. That’s what really excited me about this project and getting to work in MLS. Soccer is moving in an incredibly exciting direction in this country, and to help contribute in any capacity was huge for me. We’ve just come off an incredible World Cup, the Apple TV deal is just coming into play, and 2026 is fast approaching. Soccer is in a really strong position to move forward in this country. I also thought if I did a good job here, it can lead to other work in the soccer space too. I wanted to take the opportunity and just knock it out of the park.
You mentioned you had a blank slate going into this. Where did you get started?
I wanted to do something very different from what the Red Bulls usually do. I was inspired by clubs around the world that have very different third kits in contrast to their typical colors. I was excited by the possibility of innovating in that sense, so that’s where I started.
Tie dye is also something that my line has used a lot over the years, so that’s what we eventually landed on. We went with the tie dye, and we tried to make it with a bit of motion to match the energy of New York. The city is always in motion, and we tried to showcase that.
Color-wise, the specific blue and yellow were a couple of colors that I had just developed at the time. We started working on the jersey, and we thought they would be perfect to go together for the Red Bulls.
I think it’s cool that yellow and blue have been part of previous jerseys, so it still connects to history in that way.
Yeah for sure. The yellow itself I also thought was a bit like a taxi cab, which you see around here everywhere. But I wanted that yellow to be a little more muted – something that you could see in streetwear.
Tell me about the worded motif across the kit. What went into that?
I wanted that repeating pattern to give the jersey a high-end, luxury feel – just like you would see in a Louis Vuitton bag for example.
What about the Daniel Patrick logo with coordinates at the bottom?
We originally had the Daniel Patrick logo as one of the accents, but for this final version, we included it on this patch down here. It also includes the coordinates for the center circle of the arena. I’ve used coordinates a lot in my clothes, so that was a little nod to that as well.
Tell me about the collar and the shoulders.
We could have gone with either a polo neck or a crew neck. We just thought the crew neck was a little bit more streetwear, which is how we wanted the jersey to feel.
Why is it special that this collaboration is with New York?
Growing up in Australia, I always had my eye on New York as the place where I wanted to be. The chance to work with the New York Red Bulls was exciting because New York is one of the fashion capitals of the world. You always want to make it in New York. There have been a lot of milestones for me as a designer and for my brand that have happened here in New York, so it’s special that my first work in the soccer space happens here.
What did you want to accomplish with this new kit?
I wanted to create something that would look just as good on the field as off the field. I know it’s a totally different take to what the Red Bulls are used to because we’ve gone with different colors, but that was intentional. Since this is a collaboration, we wanted to have something that was special.
What has been the most rewarding part of being able to create a soccer jersey from scratch?
Working with the club and executing all of our ideas to bring it to life now has been the most rewarding thing. Doing this whole photoshoot now, and hosting a fashion event as well, is super cool. Doing all of it is a lot of work, but it’s really cool to see it finally come to life.
What’s next after this collaboration?
I would like to do more work in the soccer space. Whether that’s in MLS or overseas in the Premier League, for example, I’m open to it. Whatever opportunity comes, I’m open to it.
It’s good to see more creativity come into the league when it comes to jersey designs for sure.
There are good opportunities to be different and creative here. You see other clubs playing off their old jerseys for example or making special nods to their cities with new designs. They have to lean into that more I think. With the sport getting bigger and bigger here, and with more eyeballs on it than ever before, it will be important to be creative and innovative.
Film Photography by Diana Hernandez
Flatlay Photography by Carlo Rojas
