PORTLAND, Ore. - On Tuesday, in collaboration with the Portland Timbers, the Timbers Army unveiled a new line of Timbers apparel, the Crosscut Collection.
According to 107 Independent Supporters Trust (107ist) Board President Scott Van Swearingen, the collection has been in the making for over one and a half years.
"We got to a point where we were like, why aren't we doing something good together?" he said. "We work together in other spaces really well, why can't we do this in this area as well?"
Kimberly Vrooman, General Manager of Retail Operations for the Timbers, said that a collaboration with the Timbers Army will benefit the entire community of Timbers fans.
"It's been a long time coming," said Vrooman. "There's enough love of the Timbers for all of us to succeed and thrive and get the love of the Timbers out there via a new brand, and that's the Crosscut Collection."
The Crosscut Collection is a new line of Timbers merchandise, designed by the Timbers Army and sold by the Timbers
exclusively at retail locations in Providence Park
and
online at portlandsoccershop.com
, features four items: two player t-shirts, one heritage t-shirt, and one lifestyle t-shirt.
"[We wanted] something that plays back to the leagues and incarnations of the Timbers before and then also current players," Van Swearingen said. "Build on the team culture. What is PTFC for the city and the rest of the people in stadium as well? So bridge out from what we do here to be more inclusive.
"What we wanted to do was give people options, spread the color palette around, get more shirts from different areas of the spectrum that you wouldn't just associate with Timbers-branded colors," he added.
The proceeds from the sale of the Crosscut Collection will be split evenly between the Timbers and the Timbers Army and will benefit projects of Stand Together and 107ist community outreach.
“The Timbers organization and the Timbers Army have a long history of successfully collaborating on various community and fan initiatives,” said Timbers President of Business Operations Mike Golub. “This unique, one of a kind merchandise line, is another example of how the club taps in to the unique talents of the best supporters in soccer.”
The Crosscut Collection designs debuted alongside the Timbers' 2015 home jersey at an unveiling event on Tuesday, March 3.
