Steven Mena's First Collection Under His Own Name Is a 23-Piece Umbro Line, Sold at WSS From $45

WSS, the Los Angeles value retailer, announced a 23-piece collection on Friday, October 2 that pairs Umbro with Steven Mena, the designer behind the independent label Menace. It goes on sale online at shopwss.com on Sunday, October 4 and reaches every WSS store on Wednesday, October 7. Prices run from $45 to $120.

The lineup covers jerseys, polos, denim, jackets, windbreakers and hoodies, and it is exclusive to WSS. Mena designed, directed and produced it, and he describes it as his first collection under his own name. WSS's release pitches the idea as "blokecore meets barrio and the pitch meets the block," which is a fair summary of the photos: Umbro's diamond logo and tape trims on loose, long shapes.

WSS

WWD, which had the story the same day, reports that the jerseys come in Mexico, El Salvador and Guatemala colourways, which matches the green top in the campaign photos with MEXICO printed inside its red collar. It adds that Mena reworked Umbro's checkerboard shorts into a longer, baggier cut. The release says Mena's collaborations to date include adidas, DC, MLS and LA Galaxy.

WSS

The retailer is the story as much as the designer. Mena says he grew up shopping at WSS and designed with his younger self in mind, picturing what would have excited him walking into the store. WSS has 98 stores in California, Texas, Arizona and Nevada, per the release, and WWD's account adds that it sees apparel as a growth area alongside the footwear it is known for, and that collaborations like this one are part of how it wants to stand apart from other retailers. Its marketing executive told WWD that football jerseys and soccer-inspired clothing are what customers already come to WSS for.

For Umbro, which dates its history to 1924, the project is about relevance in the US. Andie Lipton of Iconix International, which owns the brand, told WWD it is a culturally driven partnership the company wants to keep exploring. A value-priced, store-exclusive line is an unusual place for a streetwear collaboration to land, and the $45 entry price is the clearest sign WSS wants it bought rather than hoarded.