IRVING ALBERTO PEREZ

ABOUT ME

HI! WELCOME TO MY PAGE.

MY NAME IS IRVING PEREZ. I AM CURRENTLY THE LEAD APPAREL DESIGNER AT ADIDAS BASKETBALL WORKING ON THE ON-COURT AND BASKETBALL ORIGINALS COLLECTIONS. I HAVE A MASTERS OF SCIENCE IN SPORTS PRODUCT DESIGN FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF OREGON AS WELL AS A BACHELOR OF ARTS IN POLITICAL SCIENCE AND CERTIFICATE IN PHILOSOPHY FROM TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY.

IN MAY 2015, I VISITED KINGSTON, JAMAICA TO BE PRESENT AT THE NATIONAL FOOTBALL TEAM'S KIT LAUNCH BY ROMAI SPORTSWEAR. THIS PICTURE WAS TAKEN AT THE BOB MARLEY HOUSE IN KINGSTON A DAY BEFORE THE LAUNCH. MY VISIT TO JAMAICA IN MAY 2015 WAS A CULMINATION OF A LIFE LONG DREAM AND WHAT I CAN ONLY DESCRIBE DESIGNER’S FAIRY TALE STORY. 

I ACHIEVED A LIFELONG DREAM AND WORKED AS A GLOBAL FOOTBALL APPAREL DESIGNER FOR UAE-BASED BRAND ROMAI SPORTSWEAR IN WHERE MY FIRST PROJECT WAS TO DESIGN THE JAMAICAN NATIONAL FOOTBALL TEAM'S HOME AND AWAY KIT FOR THEIR 2015 COPA AMERICA, 2015 GOLD CUP, 2016 COPA AMERICA CENTENARIO AND 2018 WORLD CUP QUALIFIER PERFORMANCES.

MY STORY BEGINS WITH DRAWING SUPERHEROES AND CARTOONS, AND WATCHING SOCCER AS A YOUNG BOY. MY LOVE FOR DRAWING AND SOCCER MORPHED MY SKILLS INTO DESIGNING FOOTBALL KITS FOR MY FAVORITE TEAMS AS A HOBBY. THIS HOBBY THEN DEVELOPED INCESSANTLY THROUGH THE YEARS FROM MY YOUTH INTO MY TEENAGE YEARS AND ADULTHOOD. MY LOVE FOR SOCCER AND THE KNOWLEDGE I ACQUIRED THROUGH THE YEARS ALLOWED ME TO UNDERSTAND TRENDS, CULTURE AND STYLE WITHIN THE WORLD OF FOOTBALL KIT DESIGN. I BEGAN TO FORESEE WHAT FUTURE KITS WOULD LOOK LIKE WITH UNCANNY PRECISION. IT WAS THEN THAT I BEGAN TO BELIEVE THAT MY HOBBY WAS NOT JUST A HOBBY, BUT A GIFT I HAD TO DISPLAY TO FOOTBALL FANS SOMEHOW.

IN LATE 2013, I BEGAN UPLOADING MY PEN AND PAPER FOOTBALL KIT DESIGN SKETCHES ONLINE ONTO AN FOOTBALL KIT DESIGN COMMUNITY AS WELL AS ONTO MY SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNT.

THE REST IS HISTORY.

IN A LITTLE OVER A YEAR, I WAS DISCOVERED BY A UAE-BASED SPORTS BRAND, ROMAI SPORTSWEAR. ROMAI SPORTSWEAR CHAIRMAN, KHAMIS AL-RHUMAITHY, REQUESTED MY ADDITION TO THEIR DESIGN TEAM AFTER SEEING MY WORK ONLINE. MY FIRST PROFESSIONAL PROJECT WAS TO DESIGN THE JAMAICAN NATIONAL FOOTBALL TEAM KITS. I BECAME A PROFESSIONAL DESIGNER OVERNIGHT. 

BELOW IS MY CONCEPT JAMAICA KIT DESIGN THAT ROMAI SPORTSWEAR CHAIRMAN VIEWED ON MY TWITTER AND CONVINCED HIM TO HIRE ME:

MY DREAM OF DESIGNING FOOTBALL KITS BECAME TRUE, AND I WORKED FOR ROMAI SPORTSWEAR AS THEIR LEAD GLOBAL FOOTBALL APPAREL DESIGNER. THEIR FAITH IN MY WORK ALLOWED ME TO CROSS A THRESHOLD ONLY A FEW ARE ABLE TO IN THE SPORTS PRODUCT DESIGN INDUSTRY. I GAINED EXPERIENCE THAT I AM ETERNALLY GRATEFUL FOR AND AM NOW USING TO FURTHER MY EDUCATION AND CAREER AS A DESIGNER. THROUGH PASSION, DEDICATION AND HARD WORK, I AM NOW SCALING IMPORTANT STEPS TOWARD A FULFILLING LIFE AND AM READY FOR MORE.

TO UNDERSTAND MY STORY A BIT MORE, HERE ARE A FEW INFORMATIONAL SNAPSHOTS OF WHO I AM:

I WAS BORN IN THE MEXICO-TEXAS BORDER TOWN OF MATAMOROS, TAMAULIPAS AND CONSIDER MYSELF BOTH MEXICAN AND AMERICAN (NOT TO BE CONFUSED WITH MEXICAN-AMERICAN). MY DUAL CULTURAL IDENTITY LEAD ME EARLY ON IN MY LIFE TO UNDERSTAND THINGS DIFFERENTLY THAN OTHER PEOPLE.  LIFE ON THE BORDER IS UNIQUE AND IT GAVE ME A SET OF LIFE SKILLS THAT MOST DON'T UNDERSTAND OR HAVE. THIS UPBRINGING WHERE CULTURES CLASH LEAD ME TO WANT EXPLORE AN EDUCATION IN HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL SCIENCES. NOW, I HAVE INCORPORATED MY LIFE EXPERIENCES AND EDUCATION IN SOCIAL SCIENCES TO BETTER MY UNDERSTANDING AS A DESIGNER. 

I AM PASSIONATE TEAM SPORTS FAN AND COMPETITIVE SOCCER PLAYER. MY FAVORITE TEAM’S ARE THE MEXICO NATIONAL FOOTBALL TEAM, CLUB AMERICA, THE DALLAS COWBOYS AND THE TEXAS A&M AGGIES FOOTBALL TEAM. I BRING THIS PASSION AND KNOWLEDGE OF TEAM SPORTS TO MY DESIGN WORK. 

I AM A DESIGNER WHO STRIVES FOR INNOVATION IN PERFORMANCE AND AESTHETICS WITH A CLEAR, SOPHISTICATED EYE FOR STYLE AND COLOR. 

I USE MY KNOWLEDGE, EXPERIENCE AND PASSION FOR SOCIAL SCIENCES TO DESIGN AND CREATE PRODUCTS THAT CONNECT PEOPLE AROUND THE WORLD AS WELL AS REFLECT PEOPLE’S INDIVIDUAL AND COLLECTIVE IDENTITIES AND CULTURES