Thom Browne returns to Notre Dame to launch Football Capsule

Be notified if you ever receive an invitation to join Thom Browne for Thanksgiving dinner — there is chances are you'll be hurt.

It's because the creator and his family always precede the feast with a game of football tactile that they take very seriously. “We are a competitive Irish Catholic family so someone has always been hurt. It was touch football, but ours was hard touch,” he said with a laugh. "But it's a nice family tradition."

This family tradition is what Browne drew inspiration from for his latest sports-related project: a football-themed collection for his alma mater, Notre Dame.

Over the summer, the university named Browne Artist-in-Residence for the academic year 2022-23 at its Institute for Advanced Studies. The rendezvous includes on-campus events focused on his life and work hosted by fellow Notre Dame alumnus, Michael Hainey, former associate editor of GQ. The first was in late October, and Browne took advantage of the visit to host his annual football game on campus' South Quad.

Since 2014, Browne has been hosting a pre-Thanksgiving game in Central Park, bringing together family, friends, models, actors and photographers gathered for a lively competition. But this year, he returned to South Bend, Indiana, for the first time since graduating in 1988 and gathered a group of Notre Dame students to face off in a live match.

"We didn't realize how much fun we'd be having," he said . “It took us out of our fashion world for a few days. The kids were so lovely and refreshing – they're so smart and serious. We had a great time."

He said the students who participated in the game included college swimmers, but no one from the football team . They also wore the collection of clothing which Browne described as a "hybrid of rugby and American football". This includes classic varsity pieces such as rugby shirts, long johns and sweaters with the brand's four-bar stripe, in gray or navy and white. The capsule also includes some of the brand's signature items, such as the ball-neck coat, the bag jacket and the high-top canvas sneakers.

The collection, which includes pieces for children and dogs and spectator clothing such as skirts, Filled parkas and a sleeve will be sold in Thom Browne stores from Thursday.

"The gray team was supposed to win, but the navy won," Browne said.< /p>

The designer, who swam on the Notre Dame team during his college years, said that he had just watched from the sidelines instead of participating. Maybe he was just trying to avoid getting hurt.

The football collection is the designer's latest sports project. He dressed LeBron James and his Cleveland Cavaliers for the 2018 NBA playoffs, created golf caps, is the official kit supplier for the FC Barcelona soccer team, and hosted one of his recent catwalk shows. fashion at the Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles. the site of the 1984 Summer Olympics.

Browne, who earned a degree in accounting and economics from the university, said he received a call from Meghan Sullivan, Notre Dame's associate dean for the arts, a few months ago to see if he would consider taking up the position of artist-in-residence. He jumped at the chance because of his respect for the university and the education he received...