NFL partners with 3 Las Vegas brands to create Super Bowl apparel
Walanya Vongsvirates has been working for nearly a year to create about a thousand pairs of handmade earrings and keychains inspired by Las Vegas for Super Bowl 58.
Her company Love, Hand and Heart is one of three Las Vegas businesses picked to be a part of Origins: an NFL collection, an apparel collaboration between the National Football League and local businesses in cities that host big NFL events like the Super Bowl. The others are FEATURE, a boutique apparel company, and Urban Necessities, a sneaker resale and consignment shop.
“I definitely took inspiration from the NFL and the players and the grit and hard work they put into their craft, and I did the same with mine,” Vongsvirates said of beginning to design and make her colorful earrings and keychains in May. “I genuinely just tried to do what I had to do work those long nights to be able to produce it at the quality level to that people would expect.”
The Las Vegas businesses have created their own Super Bowl designs for jewelry, apparel and more.
The NFL says the collection is a way to give a boost to local businesses in Super Bowl host cities.
“Now in its third year, Origins: an NFL collection continues to be a testament to the NFL’s commitment to supporting our event host cities while enhancing the fan experience through fashion and design,” said Joe Ruggiero, senior vice president of consumer products at the NFL, in a statement.
Being able to use the official logos of the NFL and the Super Bowl in product designs should provide a big boost to Vongsvirates’ business of handmade wearable art products, she said.
“I know how much that (NFL) shield means to people,” Vongsvirates said. “So to be able to create a handmade version of that and mix it in with my style was just such a big honor.”
Love, Hand and Heart’s designs feature a neon desert sunset, with a mix of bright rainbow colors, or glittering gold, based on the alluring nature of Las Vegas, she said.
“I really wanted to create something for fans where they could feel like they can take a piece of Las Vegas with them,” Vongsvirates said.
The special collection will launch at a pop-up event at the Nine Twenty event space in the Arts District of Las Vegas just ahead of the Super Bowl on Feb. 8. After the launch, the products will be available on each brands’ websites and the official NFL retail website nflshop.com.
Vongsvirates said she hopes this partnership boosts her business and inspires other organizations that host big events in Las Vegas to find ways to partner with local businesses. She also wants these earrings and keychains to be a special souvenir for people to remember the Super Bowl.
“My hope is that for fans, if it turns into maybe a good luck charm for them, or simply just something to remember this special event, she said. “The Super Bowl is probably like a once in a lifetime experience for people coming here.”
Contact Sean Hemmersmeier at shemmersmeier@reviewjournal.com. Follow @seanhemmers34 on X.