JCSU alum joins Alexander Julian as NBA uniform designer
September 17, 2004
By Herbert L. White
herb.white@thecharlottepost.com
Cary Mitchell and Alexander Julian share a common thread.
Both are fashion designers. And each built uniforms for Charlotte's NBA
teams.
For Mitchell, a Johnson C. Smith University graduate who lives in Charlotte,
the outfit he designed for the expansion Bobcats are as cutting-edge as
Julian's in 1987.
Photo by Paul Williams III |
| Cary Mitchell (L) and Bobcats forward Gerald Wallace
strike a pose at the unveiling of Charlotte's new uniforms. The Bobcats
connection to HBCUs also includes Black College products as assistant coaches
as well as front office personnel. |
The Bobcats' uniforms are the first in pro
basketball that uses orange prominently, as well as a V-neckline in the
jersey's back. Julian's original Hornets outfit was the first to use teal
and purple as primary colors as well as pleated shorts. Both broke
traditional sports fashion rules.
"It's probably for the timing, it's identical" in terms of setting new
standards, Mitchell said. "When the Hornets came in, it was OK for men to
wear pastels. Fast forward to now and orange is a hot color. I kind of look
at it as the same."
Mitchell said the Bobcats design was constructed with an eye on the NBA's
multi-billion dollar marketing machine. The outfit was built to be worn by
young fans as a versatile mix of color and fit.
"The influence of the young hip hop urban audience, this fits into their
wardrobe scheme," Mitchell said. "It comes across as cool."
Although orange has never been used as a dominant color in pro basketball,
Mitchell sold it as a daring choice that gives the Bobcats instant
identity.
"Our first meeting I brought an orange and gray Nike sweatshirt," he said.
"I really pushed orange - it's a really hot color right now on and off the
court. Orange is a good fashion statement."
"If you look at the Miami Heat's orange, it's a little lighter than their
trim," Mitchell said. "One of the deciding factors was that no team had
orange as a primary color."
Adding blue, silver and black along the sides also opens up extra marketing
options for the league and its suppliers by selling product in multiple
colors.
"It creates a lot of retail opportunities," Mitchell said. "You can have
four jerseys, and that doesn't even include white."
|
