Conde and Fernandez left their roles at Anomaly LA in May and were replaced by Josh Fell who became chief creative officer. At the time they expressed their desire to launch a specialist creative venture and the result is Activista, which is part of the Anomaly family, has its own P&L, its own offices and its own client relationships.
Activista’s first piece of work is the launch of a series of individual jerseys that are designed to celebrate equality and acceptance, and are timed to coincide with Pride celebrations and the Fifa World Cup.
The jerseys have been created by activists from marketing, design, fashion and sport and are being promoted under the #SameTeamJersey banner. They combine the team strips from countries across all five continents competing, including Australia, Brazil, Iceland, Japan, Russia, Senegal, Spain, South Korea and Tunisia. They include an arm patch that reads: “We Belong to the Same Team.”
Conde and Fernandez inspired the initiative with collaborations from individuals from Brazil, Spain, Russia, The Netherlands, UK and US. They include Brazilian photographer, director and actor Marcos Mello; Dutch football identities designer Floor Wesseling and Spain-based social directors Carlitos y Patricia.
It is supported by footballing legend Pelé and the world’s first LGBTQ soccer team The New York Ramblers, L’Oréal and Paco Rabanne model Luma Grothe, as well as British TV personality and dancer Louie Spence.
Shirts will be signed and auctioned on the final day of the World Cup, with proceeds going to LGBTQ charities including the Russian LGBT network and the United Nations “Free and Equal” campaign, which supports individuals in Russia and other countries where people suffer oppression for their sexuality.
Conde and Fernandez said: “We have set up Activista at a time where happily the world is seeing a lot of social change. Our first project #SameTeamJersey leverages an extraordinary moment where the Fifa World Cup and Pride have come together. Through the power of our ideas we want to spark global conversation and change; first off we’re challenging the biggest stigma prevalent in football today.”
