Adrenaline has always given lacrosse a different look. Then again, it’s not fair to compare most lacrosse apparel companies to Adrenaline, as Adrenaline hasn’t been about lacrosse apparel, but more lifestyle apparel with a lacrosse background. For 2010, several pieces in the line take a decidedly bolder look. With daring prints and bright colors, these pieces stand out from the rest.
We talked to Adrenaline Art Director Danny McCormack about some of the bolder pieces in the 2010 line.
LPG: Some of the apparel in the 2010 takes a decidedly bold and colorful look. What was the inspiration in taking these pieces in this direction?
DM: Some of these colors schemes are actually tamed down form of the original concepts. Out West you would be surprised what a lot of young people are wearing. I've seen two skater kids wearing full-on turquoise outfits, hip hop hipsters wearing neon jeans, and one girl told me purple pants were so last year. So it’s tough keeping up with the latest hip trends, but I like to at least try to bring a little of the best from the past mixed in with a flare of what's new. Adrenaline originated as a Socal Action Sports styled brand, and that is reflected in the look, but we also like to occasionally revisit trends from the 80's and 90's when we were still feeling good about ourselves.
LPG: Some of the pieces seem street wear inspired. Was that the case? If so, which of the pieces do you feel best exemplify where you were trying to go with that inspiration?
DM: I don't know. That's sort of tough to answer, but I guess so in some ways the hats probably fall into that category since they have a hip hop look to them. The five panel and flat brim hats are kind of a rage right now, and I see hip hop kids and surf/skate dudes wearing them. And maybe the occasional emo kid or goth sympathizer is going to pull on one of the beanies. We've messed with Miami Vice a bit in the past and I think gangsta rap needs another go around too. The grasshopper shirt (first picture below) has a street wear feel I think and so do some of the flags shirts.
LPG: That’s a look that’s divergent than anything else out there in lacrosse right now. How do you think it will be received by the lacrosse world?
DM: The West coast kids have already received it well so I'm interested to see how it works out on the East coast. The lacrosse community on the Eastern seaboard dressed pretty homogenous last time I checked but I'm sure there are some guys that don't just buy Lacoste shirts (which by the way have great pants too if you can find them). But we have some East coast inspired looks as well, and I think the hoodies and hoodless sweatshirts look good on anyone. Some University of Maryland friends of mine put on a big lacrosse and music event (LXM) on the West coast and made a significant first step into introducing a new and exciting atmosphere to the sport. So hopefully stuff like that will sort of change some folks perceptions on the national scale who thought lacrosse was the same as jai alai or polo and only played in the Northeast Boarding schools.
LPG: One of the bold pieces was the shark-inspired apparel. The shark theme runs through shorts, tanks, and tees. What was behind that design?
DM: Ha. I've sort of been obsessed with the movie Jaws for a while and especially the crazy old salt captain who helps them hunt down the goliath. One of Adrenaline’s employees, John Gagnon, has a similar dialect who Parker and I like to have recite lines from the movie … it’s also an homage to past looks and old school surf styles.
LPG: You are making apparel that can be worn in everyday life and isn’t necessarily something that would be identified with just lacrosse. Is that the goal? How does lacrosse influence your apparel and how do you think Adrenaline is shaping fashion in lacrosse?
DM: It's exciting to see how things develop and change over the years. I don't think lacrosse (except for the logo) has inspired how the designs look too much, but it's rather that we look at it being an activity that our Adrenaline wearer would do. Sort of thematically the sport he would play in high school, youth, or college. You know what I'm getting at? The same guy who hopefully is fun, gives a crap about the environment, enjoys cultural events, cool art and music too. And there's also that sense of being a bit adventurous and ridiculous which parallels to many lacrosse players lifestyles as well. To answer the second part of the question, I would say Adrenaline has a way of bridging a primarily East coast sport with some less traditional fashions from the West. Or at least that's part of the intention. It should be interesting.
