Before Angel City’s inaugural game on April 29, 2022, supporters unveiled an epic display that covered the north end of BMO Stadium: a massive banner in Sol Rosa and white, featuring an art deco-inspired angel and reading UN NUEVO AMANECER—a new dawn.
Now the club is bringing that tifo back to La Fortaleza in a way no other US team has done: as the ACFC x Klarna "A New Dawn” capsule collection, consisting of a windbreaker, a bucket hat, and a fanny pack, made in collaboration with Klarna and produced by Suay Sew Shop. Each piece is unique and features a jock tag with the ACFC crest and Klarna logo that explains where the fabric came from and certifies the item’s authenticity.
A tifo is a large-scale display that soccer supporters show off in the moments before a game. It can involve a banner, like the Nuevo Amanecer tifo, as well as flags and cards held up by individual fans forming a larger image. Supporters use tifo to express their love for their team and to tell a story about their club.
The Nuevo Amanecer tifo represents “such pride for Los Angeles and pride for our communities,” said supporter Danielle Lugo of the Poderosas supporter group. “Being a former athlete, I remember seeing the youth here in the stands [on day one]. When I was playing, I could only dream of college, and now these kids have a whole new world to look forward to.”
Tifo is a community undertaking, and the time and effort that goes into it is a reflection of the supporters’ dedication to the club. A tifo is also ephemeral—fans unfurl a particular display for a few short minutes before a match, and it’s never used again.
The capsule collection not only gives a second life to a work of art that might otherwise have sat in storage for years, or, worse, wound up in a landfill—it’s also a supporter-centric collection that speaks to Angel City’s most devoted fans and gives this dedicated community access to additional merchandise that allows them to show off their passions.
“I think it's just phenomenal,” said Lugo. “When you come out to the stadium, it's like you're taking a piece of history and you're able to wear it.”
The sustainability-centric collection is a perfect match for Angel City’s official shopping app partner, Klarna.
Klarna is committed to sustainability practices and positively impacting planet health, and a big part of it is about building the so-called circular economy. That’s a model of production where materials and finished products are reused, recycled, refurbished, or resold as much as possible, thereby reducing waste and minimizing the environmental impact of material extraction and processing.
About 55% of worldwide greenhouse gas emissions are from burning fossil fuels for energy; the remaining 45% is related to the extraction and production of materials, food, and products, including clothing. Today, only 7.2% of the global economy is circular, so there’s enormous room for growth.
The most prevalent example of a circular business model in fashion is re-commerce, or secondhand shopping. Demand in that sector is increasing, and the market is projected to double to $77 billion in the next five years. As the leading global payments provider, Klarna is uniquely positioned to help consumers shop for pre-owned items, and aims to continue building out options to resell, donate, or recycle pieces customers already own.
“This collection allows fans to participate in the circular economy and encourages them to be more sustainably conscious while supporting their favorite team,” said Megan Gokey, Klarna’s Klarna's head of B2C marketing and brand partnerships.
Klarna worked closely with another key player in the circular economy, Suay Sew Shop. The Frogtown-based vertically integrated manufacturer makes its products from post-consumer waste, deadstock, and organically grown domestic fibers.
“Suay’s commitment to the circular economy is very in line with Klarna’s commitment to making a positive impact on planet health and empowering our 150 million consumers to make more informed, conscious shopping decisions,” said Gokey. “With Suay, we were able to create the items right here in Los Angeles and use a piece of LA sports history, the tifo.”
Suay isn’t just committed to eradicating waste from the garment industry; they’re also staunch advocates for garment workers’ rights and wages. In the depths of the pandemic in 2020, they began weekly food distributions to garment workers, as well as launching a national textile recycling program called Suay SOS.
Like Klarna’s 2022 collaboration with re-inc, the collection is centered on fans, pushing the boundaries of design and offering the kind of bespoke merchandise that’s historically been hard to find in women’s sports. It celebrates not just the passion and devotion of ACFC’s fans, but also the creativity and unique culture of football supporters’ groups.
“One of the things I am most proud of with this collection is that it ties directly back to the fans,” said Gokey. “This marks the first time ever in US soccer that something like this has been done. Through our partnership with ACFC, we are constantly putting the fans at the heart of what we do and aim to create authentic connections with ACFC’s supporters and elevate their fan experience.”
Like all of Angel City’s partnerships, 10% of sales from the collection will go to a community partner, in this case the Downtown Women’s Center—specifically their social enterprise, the MADE by DWC Resale Boutique—with Klarna matching the contribution. This initiative focuses on the circular economy as well as providing jobs to empower women in LA to break the cycle of homelessness.
The collection is available on the Klarna app and at the Angel City online shop. It will also be available for purchase at Angel City HQ during games. Fans who purchase with Klarna will get $10 off from May 11–14.
A tifo only goes up for a few minutes, but thanks to Klarna and Suay, Un Nuevo Amanecer will live on in La Fortaleza for years to come.