Adrenaline goes bold in 2010


Adrenaline has always given lacrosse a different look. Then again, it’s not fair to compare most lacrosse apparel companies to Adrenaline, as Adrenaline hasn’t been about lacrosse apparel, but more lifestyle apparel with a lacrosse background. For 2010, several pieces in the line take a decidedly bolder look. With daring prints and bright colors, these pieces stand out from the rest.

We talked to Adrenaline Art Director Danny McCormack about some of the bolder pieces in the 2010 line.


LPG: Some of the apparel in the 2010 takes a decidedly bold and colorful look. What was the inspiration in taking these pieces in this direction?

DM: Some of these colors schemes are actually tamed down form of the original concepts. Out West you would be surprised what a lot of young people are wearing. I’ve seen two skater kids wearing full-on turquoise outfits, hip hop hipsters wearing neon jeans, and one girl told me purple pants were so last year. So it’s tough keeping up with the latest hip trends, but I like to at least try to bring a little of the best from the past mixed in with a flare of what’s new. Adrenaline originated as a Socal Action Sports styled brand, and that is reflected in the look, but we also like to occasionally revisit trends from the 80’s and 90’s when we were still feeling good about ourselves.

LPG: Some of the pieces seem street wear inspired. Was that the case? If so, which of the pieces do you feel best exemplify where you were trying to go with that inspiration?

DM: I don’t know. That’s sort of tough to answer, but I guess so in some ways the hats probably fall into that category since they have a hip hop look to them. The five panel and flat brim hats are kind of a rage right now, and I see hip hop kids and surf/skate dudes wearing them. And maybe the occasional emo kid or goth sympathizer is going to pull on one of the beanies. We’ve messed with Miami Vice a bit in the past and I think gangsta rap needs another go around too. The grasshopper shirt (first picture below) has a street wear feel I think and so do some of the flags shirts.

LPG: That’s a look that’s divergent than anything else out there in lacrosse right now. How do you think it will be received by the lacrosse world?

DM: The West coast kids have already received it well so I’m interested to see how it works out on the East coast. The lacrosse community on the Eastern seaboard dressed pretty homogenous last time I checked but I’m sure there are some guys that don’t just buy Lacoste shirts (which by the way have great pants too if you can find them). But we have some East coast inspired looks as well, and I think the hoodies and hoodless sweatshirts look good on anyone. Some University of Maryland friends of mine put on a big lacrosse and music event (LXM) on the West coast and made a significant first step into introducing a new and exciting atmosphere to the sport. So hopefully stuff like that will sort of change some folks perceptions on the national scale who thought lacrosse was the same as jai alai or polo and only played in the Northeast Boarding schools.

LPG: One of the bold pieces was the shark-inspired apparel. The shark theme runs through shorts, tanks, and tees. What was behind that design?

DM: Ha. I’ve sort of been obsessed with the movie Jaws for a while and especially the crazy old salt captain who helps them hunt down the goliath. One of Adrenaline’s employees, John Gagnon, has a similar dialect who Parker [Anger] and I like to have recite lines from the movie … it’s also an homage to past looks and old school surf styles.

LPG: You are making apparel that can be worn in everyday life and isn’t necessarily something that would be identified with just lacrosse. Is that the goal? How does lacrosse influence your apparel and how do you think Adrenaline is shaping fashion in lacrosse?

DM: It’s exciting to see how things develop and change over the years. I don’t think lacrosse (except for the logo) has inspired how the designs look too much, but it’s rather that we look at it being an activity that our Adrenaline wearer would do. Sort of thematically the sport he would play in high school, youth, or college. You know what I’m getting at? The same guy who hopefully is fun, gives a crap about the environment, enjoys cultural events, cool art and music too. And there’s also that sense of being a bit adventurous and ridiculous which parallels to many lacrosse players lifestyles as well. To answer the second part of the question, I would say Adrenaline has a way of bridging a primarily East coast sport with some less traditional fashions from the West. Or at least that’s part of the intention. It should be interesting.

Lacrosse Playground

In 2009, Adam O’Neill, Harry Alford and Thomas Alford launched Lacrosse Playground as the preeminent site for lacrosse gearheads. For years Lacrosse Playground provided lacrosse fans with tutorials and tips on how to string a lacrosse head, up-close looks at the gear the top players used and sneak peeks at equipment and uniforms before they were released. More than 10 years and millions of visits later, Lacrosse Playground has relaunched with a focus on storytelling. Our mission is to provide comprehensive coverage of the latest lacrosse news, share insights into the sports betting and fantasy lacrosse world and showcase the lifestyles and personalities of the sport of lacrosse through articles, videos and podcasts.

7 Comments

  1. adrenamovement on January 4, 2010 at 1:54 pm

    “What says lacrosse quite like a v neck shirt and a Grizzly Adams beard.” -It’s an interesting comment and like I said before, all feedback to us is great. 412 lax, what “says lacrosse” to you? These are things we think about all the time so don’t mistake this comment for anything but pure interest.

    412 Lax, thanks for you comment and good dialog. Lacrosse is heading in the right direction and discussing “new” vs “traditional” will be an interesting topic for discussion in the future.

  2. t on December 31, 2009 at 6:21 pm

    Hey 412 lax maybe everyone who plays Lacrosse should don white beat up hats with the gamecocks logo on it. The guy with the beard and v neck played goal in the ncaa tournament for Maryland. lighten up, relax, or maybe wait eight more minutes…

  3. Happy New Year Gentlebros - 412 Lax on December 31, 2009 at 3:44 pm

    […] New clothing line from Adrenaline, our comment is crushing (LacrossePlayground) […]

  4. 412 Lax on December 31, 2009 at 2:30 pm

    Nothing says lacrosse quite like a v neck shirt and Grizzly Adams beard.

  5. adrenamovement on December 31, 2009 at 12:11 pm

    HA! Hey Bobby, thanks for the comment and reading the article, we appreciate any feedback whatsoever. I assure you though, Adrenaline is not going “hipster” any time soon however several trends tend to crossover these days. You see rappers in skinny jeans and vans and “Hipsters” in Nike Blazers etc. Thankfully, there has been a cultural fusion the past few years and we would prefer not be pegged “hipster”, “lacrosse” (despite “the guy” logo), or anything for that matter. There are just too many great things happening out there to choose just one!

    Regardless, that was a funny comment that made us smile around here because we know plenty of hipsters that would be offended. Feel free to email to discuss more in depth the direction of Adrenaline: [email protected].

    Thanks again Bobby

  6. Bobby on December 30, 2009 at 6:12 pm

    I’m sorry to see that Adrenaline is gravitating towards catering to the filthy hipster crowd…

  7. bear99 on December 30, 2009 at 10:49 am

    another Landon grad doing well. good job Danny.

Leave a Comment

You must be logged in to post a comment.