Just like the city the team calls home, the Philadelphia Union is composed of a diverse group of individuals that together create a culture like no other. The heritages, identities, and experiences of each player, coach, staff member, and fan are woven into the club’s fabric, and Saturday’s June 24th Unity Night matchup presented by WSFS Bank against Inter Miami FC is set to be a celebration of that.
On Wednesday night when the team arrived in Orlando, they sported an exclusive ‘Stronger Together’ travel tee designed by Philadelphia Union senior graphic designer Randy Cunningham in collaboration with the players themselves.
The top was made to represent what Unity means to the Union. It features the team crest reimagined using a local fabric from 16 different countries, each honoring a player on the roster.
Cunningham has been a designer for the Union since 2020, but his affinity for art developed early as a high school student at George Washington Carver School of Engineering in North Philadelphia, where he often could be found drawing in a notebook during class.
Upon graduation, he pursued his interest at Drexel University, quickly advancing from school day doodles to a career in graphic design.
“I feel like sports design is probably the coolest to get into because you can stretch player personalities into so many more abstract things,” Randy said.
“My driving force was that sometimes it's hard for me to not be creative. That's just how I approach things in my life. Creativity is my voice."
Cunningham finds the most inspiration in streetwear, admiring artists whose work evokes emotion through clothing. When he was approached with the opportunity to design an Adidas-branded piece for the team’s Unity Night game, it was an easy ‘Yes.’
“I was thinking about the cliche things we could do – everybody holding hands and things like that. But I'm not that designer who likes to do things the way you’d expect,” Cunningham said.
“The ‘Stronger Together’ concept came together while sitting at a table with Bedoya, Damion Lowe, Andres Perrea, and Nate Harriel. We talked about what Unity means to them, and how we can play with that idea to make something cool,” Cunningham said.
The players shared what unity looks like within their locker room, citing music as a way they connect.
“I think one of the things that the guys talked about initially that stuck out to me, because I'm a really big music fan, is that many different styles of music are just playing randomly in the locker room and what that's like. Maybe it's Reggaeton, or something like from here, and then there’s French music – so much things going on. I think what’s cool about that, is that even though the language may have been different in each song, the vibe of the song was probably enough to carry us through like a W or pick us up after a loss or something. I thought that was kind of a cool way to approach it,” Cunningham said.
From there, creativity began to flow. Cunningham entered the meeting with an admiration for a Japanese brand called fndmntl, known for its use of denim and patchwork designs, and when Bedoya pitched in with a similar idea of his own, the concept for the shirt clicked.
“One of the things that Ale brought up is an artist named Hank Willis Thomas – he did Picasso’s Guernica with basketball jerseys. I was very surprised Ale knew who he was. I already had patchwork in mind, so that's kind of where the idea started to take shape – using the Union logo as our grid for the fabrics from each culture.”
Cunningham dove into research, diligently earning about fabrics from across the globe, selecting one from Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Scotland, Brazil, Colombia, Norway, Denmark, Venezuela, Jamaica, Argentina, Haiti ,Cameroon, Kenya, England, and the United States. Then, he got to work making the design come to life.
“I think maybe the most difficult part was balancing the colors – each fabric isn't necessarily a bright, shiny color, so like, trying to play up the colors of each one and making it all into something that looks like our logo, but distinctive enough for fans notice what’s different about this one,” Cunningham said.
“There are patterns within the textiles that you have to account for, and that's super difficult. Also, trying to render it like a fabric as opposed to just a flat thing like it is in Photoshop.”
The final product was delivered just in time for the entire team to wear it on the plane when they traveled to Orlando City SC for Wednesday night’s game – head Coach Jim Curtin even donned it during the match.
“I'm really glad that the players like it, the front office loves it. I'm really proud of it,” Cunningham said.
“Adidas is one of my dads favorite brands and Fathers Day was the other day, so there’s something full circle about it.”
Cunningham will be honored for his work at halftime on Saturday, and has just one sentiment to share with the fans.
“This is all for you.”
The shirt will not be sold as retail. Instead, players-signed versions will be available for auction, with all proceeds supporting Philadelphia Union Foundation’s Chester programming. The Auction will close on Sunday, June 25th at 7pm ET.
