The postseason pairing of Kansas City’s premier streetwear brand and its most celebrated sports franchise is a dream come true — one years in the making for longtime fans and co-founders Vu Radley and Mark Launiu.
Vu Radley and Mark Launiu, MADE MOBB
“I’m glad it happened now, because after nine years of doing this, we are ready,” said Radley, describing MADE MOBB’s newly announced apparel partnership with the Kansas City Chiefs, the hometown football team now vying for its third consecutive Super Bowl run. “The timing was perfect. The new year rolled out and we got to start it with a boom.”
The just-unveiled CHIEFS X MADE MOBB collection — including a limited edition hoodie and T-shirt set to be released to the public Friday — features a mantra created specifically for the collaboration: “From the Stadium to the Streets.”
“I think that [slogan] highlights the collab perfectly,” Radley noted. “The Chiefs [previously] rolled out ‘One Team, One Vision’; and that’s what MADE MOBB is — a group of guys who came together to follow our passions and build something that’s going to live longer than all of us. ‘From the Stadium to the Streets’ has that similar [message]. We really wanted to take the official merch and remix it in a MADE MOBB way.”
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Working on a big collaboration typically could be limiting, Radley admitted, but the Chiefs allowed him and his team to fully explore their creativity. The apparel brand’s design minds met with the franchise’s counterparts, and he was surprised by the amount of freedom and flexibility MADE MOBB was allowed.
“They gave us full rein; they didn’t hold us back from who we are — our roots,” he shared. “We were able to stay true to what we do. It was crazy to be able to have that talk with them and be able to do whatever.”
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Watch MADE MOBB’s hype video for the “From the Stadium to the Streets” collection below, then keep reading.
MADE MOBB’s team didn’t go into the collaboration blindly. For years, Radley and crew have been designing loosely Chiefs-related apparel — taking full advantage of the color scheme and theme — but keeping it within trademark rules and considerations. The Chiefs’ recent Super Bowl appearances have also equipped MADE MOBB for quick turnarounds.
“Creatively, we had to work on a tight deadline because you never know what’s going to happen in each game,” Radley said, referencing previous make-or-break playoff match-ups. “… That was a huge prep, and it definitely helped us be prepared for what we’re doing today.”
Read how the Chiefs’ 2020 and 2021 Super Bowl seasons impacted MADE MOBB’s bottom line.
Initially approached by the Chiefs as the clock ticked down on the final quarter of 2021, the MADE MOBB team has been intentional in enjoying and reflecting on the dream collaboration as it unfolds, Radley shared.
Vu Radley and Mark Launiu, MADE MOBB
After all, he’s been an Arrowhead enthusiast since he was a kid, he said. And Launiu was an avid Chiefs fan even before immigrating to the U.S. from the Samoan Islands.
“The whole team, we made sure to take a step back during this whole thing and really take in what’s happening,” he said. “We’ve talked about this for years, and now it’s actually happening.”
As one of Kansas City’s “leading streetwear brands,” MADE MOBB was the perfect partner to help create a unique line of merchandise for the football team, said Lara Krug, executive vice president and chief marketing officer for the Chiefs, in a press release.
“The streetwear game is a traditionally underrepresented market for team apparel due to licensing considerations,” Krug noted, “but having the opportunity to create something so different and unique is going to appeal to many of our fans. We are excited to see this merch fly off the shelves as we start our playoff run.”
Xavier Davis, Anthony Arellano and Vu Radley, MADE MOBB
Although MADE MOBB’s growing popularity might contrast with its underground streetwear vibe for some, Radley is confident the brand will stay authentic to its vision.
“We’ve always wanted to get nationwide recognition, and I think this collaboration will really help get us to that point,” he said. “As long as we continue to stay true to what we do creatively — and as people — everything else just follows.
“With MADE MOBB, we do apparel; but there are layers in that,” Radley continued. “Our focus on community and our focus on the Midwest is something we want to push and represent on a nationwide level. We don’t want Kansas City to be underground anymore. We want the whole world to know what Kansas City is for us.”
Pop-up party
The limited edition CHIEFS X MADE MOBB hoodie and tee will be officially released at MADE MOBB’s pop-up party 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Friday, Jan. 14 at its storefront in the Crossroads Arts District.
The pop-up party is expected to feature appearances from KC Wolf, as well as Kansas City Ambassadors and the Chiefs Rumble — the team’s premier drumline.
The pop-up will also see the launch of the Deci-Booth, a gamified experience that gives fans the chance to win prizes and create social media videos by showing how loud they can get (in reference to Chiefs fans holding the record for being the loudest fans ever recorded at 142.2 decibels at Arrowhead Stadium in 2014).
“It’ll be a cool event that highlights the Chiefs coming to us, popping up in our spot and just having a party with the community to celebrate the release,” Radley said.
The exclusive collaboration limited production to 1,000 hoodies and 1,000 tees. For those who cannot attend Friday’s pop-up, a select amount will be available online at www.mademobb.com and shop.chiefs.com beginning at 9 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 15.
This story is possible thanks to support from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, a private, nonpartisan foundation that works together with communities in education and entrepreneurship to create uncommon solutions and empower people to shape their futures and be successful.
For more information, visit www.kauffman.org and connect at www.twitter.com/kauffmanfdn and www.facebook.com/kauffmanfdn
