Nutmeg Radio

The U.S. soccer landscape is changing.  A new level of sophistication is on the horizon in the U.S. soccer fashion market.  We recently wrote a piece about Toronto F.C.’s collaboration with famed designer Dirk Bikkembergs.  Well, we may have our own Dirk right here in New York City (a small town on the outskirts of Harrison, NJ).  Stephen Wong is the Founder and Creative Director of WONG WONG, a design collective inspired by football and fashion.  For us, soccer is so many things: style, fashion, versatility and humor. WONG WONG beautifully captures these elements in its original designs.

We virtually sat down with Stephen to talk about WONG WONG, Bergkamp, and penetration.  Racy, I know.  Don’t worry, we’re still in the PG-13 sphere.  With WONG WONG, Stephen is doing his part to add a bit of sophistication and humor to soccer design.  Here are some of the highlights from our conversation.

Clive: I won’t be silly enough to ask you how you came up for the name of the company, Mr. Stephen Wong.  But do tell me a little about yourself.  What led you into football-inspired design?

Stephen: For the past 12 years I have been working as an Art Director in NYC, mostly in art and fashion. With WONG WONG I wanted to design projects that are inspired by football but make them approachable to everyone and leave each project open to interpretation.

Clive: Let’s talk the Bergkamp tote.  What was the inspiration for the bag and its design?  And why Bergkamp?

Stephen: I had the idea for the Bergkamp tote while playing pick-up football downtown in NYC.  I noticed that a lot of friends were carrying all their gear in one bag and after a match, that meant all their sweaty clothes, dirty boots (and those nasty field turf pellets) were being thrown together with their books, laptops and what not and thought that it would be interesting to find a solution to this.(an alternative to nylon duffel bags or backpacks)  So I designed The Bergkamp, which has 2 individual totes, one for your gear and one for your personal things, and everything stays separate and clean.  The bridge that holds the two totes together is convenient for carrying jackets, jumpers, etc.  And if you don’t play football, well then the tote is useful when shopping at the bodega, taking lunch to work, or a carrying larger items, like a yoga mat.

I named the tote after Bergkamp because I liked the way it sounds and he is one of my favorite players.

Clive: You have good taste in players.  I assume you know that Dennis Bergkamp was afraid to fly.  Do these bags travel well?

Stephen: I believe it started when he was playing for the Dutch national side and one of his flights was canceled due to a bomb threat or something and from then on he refused to fly.  Well, that’s what Wikipedia told me anyways.  Luckily the WONG WONG double tote handles air travel very well.

Clive: Now, the scarves.  The Backdoor, Double Team, Hump and Run, Movement, Penetration, and Two Man Combo.  When did you decide to exclusively focus on Chelsea scarves?  No, seriously, what’s up with the provocative scarves?

Stephen: Yes, the scarves are in honor of Ashley Cole……The FFL project is WW’s interpretation of the traditional football scarf.  100% cashmere (vs, acrylic), and each design is paired with football terms that match each club’s style of play.  Arsenal play an attacking, flowing style of football so I gave them Penetration, Juventus traditionally play a defensive style of game, like most Italian sides, so I chose Double Team, and so on.  For those that don’t follow football (shame) well that’s alright, everyone loves cashmere and haven’t we all had enough with the black, drab outfits already?  Everyone could use a little color.

Clive: Well said.  How have the scarves been received?  What’s the most entertaining reaction you’ve seen/heard?

Stephen: Love, Hate, Indifference.  I think that covers it.

Clive: Your designs are what we in “the business” call high end.  I’m sure I don’t need to tell you, but you’re selling $125 scarves.  What niche are you targeting?  What convinced you of the demand?

Stephen: People that love football and people that recognize good design.  Oh, a sense of humor helps.

Clive: How do you envision the high end football fashion market unfolding, especially in the United States?

Stephen: Innovation and Collaboration.

Clive: This question is more of a suggestion.  What do you think about making scarves for clubs facing financial difficulty?  Portsmouth’s would be Brokeback; Manchester United could be the VibGlazer.  This is all free my friend.  Okay, really, what’s in the pipeline?

Stephen: I think the Red Knights already beat me to that one.  The next project will launch in late May, just before that little tournament in South Africa.  It’s going to be WONG WONG’S first collaboration, but I can’t say much more about it now.

Clive: Fair enough. Any final thoughts?

Stephen: PLUG: www.wongwong.com

Well plugged, Stephen.

You can pick up a Bergkamp tote or several of Wong Wong’s stylish scarves at their online store (see plug above).  We’ll let you know when WONG WONG launches their next project right before the World Cup.

Bergkamp tote photos © Grace Kim
ffl scarf photos © Jimmy Cohrssen

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