The popular U.S.-based soccer podcast Men in Blazers won’t be going to Qatar to celebrate the World Cup, but instead is embarking on a 10-city live show tour across the country to mark the planet’s biggest tournament with American soccer fans of all stripes. And they’ll be doing it in style, with a new apparel collaboration with menswear designer Todd Snyder, launching today.
The limited-edition collection consists of a varsity jacket, a letterman’s cardigan sweater, a Champion-style sweatshirt, a beanie, and a scarf. “Nobody’s ever done something like this with [Men in Blazers],” says Snyder, whose brand has collaborated with Champion, LL Bean, Converse, Timex, and more. “I like working with people who are original in their space, and what they’re doing is so original and fun.”
Men in Blazers began as a single podcast with English expats Roger Bennett and Michael Davies in 2010, and is now a media company with more than 10 different podcasts, bestselling books, and TV shows. This year, they’ve teamed with Ted Lasso star Brendan Hunt on a podcast about the history of soccer in America, and partnered with Crooked Media on the World Corrupt podcast, detailing the darker side of how Qatar became this year’s tournament host.
Bennett also hosted a three-part podcast called Conversations on Creativity, talking to Snyder about his own creative process, lessons on collaboration, and business. From there, they began talking about a potential collab of their own. “I just admired the way this brand worked with so many brands, where it looked like someone had taken the time to study the aesthetic of other brands with passion, and partner with them in a truly meaningful way,” says Bennett.
Men in Blazers have done other apparel collaborations, with brands like Rowing Blazers and Umbro, but Snyder says the goal here was to make something a bit more premium that straddled both fashion and fandom in a unique way.
“Each collaboration we’ve done is with brands I absolutely adore, and it’s just joyful to partner with them,” says Bennett. “I think that’s the threshold: When you love a brand, and wear them naturally, and your wardrobe is already full of their stuff, to partner with them is natural, wonderful, and something I don’t take for granted.”
Plus, now Bennett has something new to wear on the World Cup tour. “I could either go across America doing these live shows naked, or I could go clothed,” he says. “And thanks to this collaboration, I will be going clothed.”
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