The Philadelphia Eagles and the clothing company owned by the team’s former center Jason Kelce have turned to a trio of local designers to create Birds T-shirts and sweatshirts that will raise money for charity.
Kelce’s Underdog Apparel and the Eagles unveiled the four designs Friday. The items are for sale at the team’s pro shops at Lincoln Financial Field and the store’s three remote locations. The designs also are sold on Underdog’s website.
One of the new Eagles shirts was created by Eric “HeavySlime” Kenney, the artist whose distinctive styles were recently featured in episodes of HBO’s Delco crime drama “Task.” The graphic shows HeavySlime’s signature skeleton wearing a Super Bowl ring, and above it, the word Eagles is printed in a retro font, reminiscent of the team’s Kelly green era.
Kenney said Underdog and the Eagles approached him over the summer about the collaboration. He called it gratifying to see his work embraced by the Eagles after a decade building his reputation as an independent artist.
“I feel like it’s been a long time coming for these teams to start to use the artists that are fans to design their merch,” Kenney said. “I think it’s going to go pretty well. It’s a good charity, so I’m stoked that it’s going to something and not just the NFL’s pockets.”
“Bury the Doubt,” the phrase printed on the HeavySlime shirt, is a call to Eagles fans to believe in the team’s chances to pull off back-to-back championships.
“I know sometimes there’s a Super Bowl hangover, and people have a lot of doubt that they can do it again,” Kenney said Friday. “This was a play on that idea for people to move forward and be hopeful about a repeat.”
The T-shirt design is Kenney’s second recent collaboration with the Eagles: Last month, liquor company BOTLD revealed new labels for its four Eagles-themed spirits, two of which include Kenney’s artwork.
Kelce, now an NFL analyst at ESPN, founded Underdog Apparel in 2022. The name is a nod to the long odds the Eagles overcame to win their first Super Bowl title in 2018. Profits from the apparel company benefit the (Be) Philly Foundation, an organization, also started by Kelce, that raises money for charities supporting Philly’s public schools. The foundation helps fund after school programs in the city and works closely with Heights Philadelphia, which helps low-income youth with college preparation and career growth.
Other new items that went on sale Friday include a crewneck by designer Paul Granese. It depicts a bald eagle clutching the team’s Kelly green helmet. Granese also designed a hoodie with retro Eagles graphics on the front and back. Granese is the founder of Cracked Bell PHL, an apparel brand whose graphics represent Philly’s sports teams and other local lore.
Provided Image/Philadelphia Eagles
Artist Kees Holterman created a graphic tee that will be sold by Jason Kelce’s Underdog Apparel and at Eagles Pro Shops.
Provided Image/Philadelphia Eagles
Designer Paul Granese made a limited-edition Eagles hoodie for Jason Kelce’s Underdog Apparel brand.
The third artist involved, folk painter and sculptor Kees Holterman, created a shirt with a small Eagles logo on the front and mascot Swoop climbing out of Lincoln Financial Field on the back.
Provided Image/Philadelphia Eagles
Paul Granese, the founder of Cracked Bell PHL, designed a T-shirt with graphic of Eagles mascot Swoop.
Kenney said he’s excited that Eagles fans will see HeavySlime on display at the Linc. “It’s a little surreal because I’ve been doing my own branded stuff for so long, but it’s really cool for them to take notice finally,” he said.
In a statement Friday, Kelce said all of Underdog’s T-shirts will be made in the United States and designed and printed in Philadelphia. This is the first time the brand’s shirts will be directly sold by the Eagles.
“To be able to associate them with the team I love so dearly is awesome,” Kelce said. “I’m really happy with the collection.”