Modern Rockstars founder JT Holmes may be from Minnesota, but he had never had an opportunity to design a hockey sweater of any kind. Now based in Scottsdale, he previously collaborated with the Phoenix Suns, but he was over the moon - and admittedly a little nervous - when the Arizona Coyotes reached out to partner on a Black Excellence jersey that
the team will wear during warm ups on Feb. 28 against the Chicago Blackhawks. The end result? Fire. Literally.
The jersey blends the classic element of Arizona's iconic Kachina logo with the look-and-feel of the Modern Rockstars brand, and Holmes said he hopes Coyotes fans will be as receptive as Suns fans were during his collaboration with them.
To steal a term from a different sport - the sweaters are a home run."I love the Kachina logo, so I wanted to still have that feeling of ruggedness. Coyotes are dangerous, but also calm and still, so I was inspired by it," Holmes said. "Also, I noticed the Kachina logo doesn't have a puck, so I was like, 'Let me add a puck and now let me add this pocket of flames because he's hitting it so hard, it's on fire.'
"There's also features of flames around my basketball designs in Modern Rockstars. I wanted to make people aware that if you really know my brand, and what we've done in the past two years, you see that it's Modern Rockstars."
Holmes said he drew his inspiration from a number of different places, but the popular old Nicktoon 'Hey Arnold,' along with the old Looney Tunes bits involving Wil E. Coyotes and the roadrunner were always front of mind.
Though designing a hockey jersey was a bit out of his comfort zone, he welcomed the challenge with open arms.
"You have to put your flavor on it," Holmes said. "What I hope makes it even more impactful is that the Coyotes are showcasing a black creator."
Coyotes President and CEO Xavier A. Gutierrez stressed that though Holmes' jersey is rightfully being highlighted during Black History Month, the organization is committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion all year long.
"It's very special for us to use this incredible voice that we have to highlight individuals that are making a difference in the world around us," Gutierrez said. "This isn't something we do just for one celebration, or for one month, or for one game. On this occasion, it is important to celebrate and highlight, but we strive to say this is core to who we are, and we don't just talk about it. We actually do it."
The partnership with Modern Rockstars has been a long time coming. Bret Scroggins, the Coyotes' Manager of Foundation and Community Impact, said the team had hoped to collaborate with Holmes for nearly a year, and when the opportunity arose to partner with him to highlight a local, minority-owned business during Black History Month, Scroggins and his team jumped at the chance.
The Coyotes first came across Holmes' body of work when he collaborated with both the Suns and the video game Call of Duty, and are excited to help elevate his work to a completely new demographic.
"Instead of doing traditional imagery that's associated with Black History Month, we wanted to elevate an artist from that community," Scroggins said. "We wanted to put JT and Modern Rockstar in the spotlight."
Holmes said working with the Coyotes was a positive, memorable experience, and he's excited to see how fans receive the design.
Though he had certain constraints that he had to work within, he said the Coyotes gave him broad creative control, and that made a difference in the final product that fans will see on Tuesday.
"The Coyotes reached out to me, and I felt like it was destiny," Holmes said. "It's a chance to reach a different demographic and expand even further as a black creator."
Perhaps most importantly, though, Holmes said he understands how his journey can encourage other individuals that were in his position to follow their passion, as well.
It wasn't an easy road, but as Modern Rockstars continues to gain more visibility with everything he does, the responsibility of helping others isn't lost on him.
"I know it's all going to work out in the end if I stay positive, keep good energy, and spread good Karma," Holmes said. "I compliment three people every day. I want to spread good energy, because you never know what someone is going through. So it's like for me being black out here, I can show you that this is possible for other black creators, too."
Jerseys will be up for auction, and fans can place bids beginning today through the third period of the Feb. 28 game against the Blackhawks. Holmes also designed a batch of limited-edition t-shirts, which were sold exclusively at the Coyotes team stores at Mullett Arena, but were also available for pre-order. All proceeds earned will be used by the Arizona Coyotes Foundation to support economic advancement for underserved and diverse communities - one of its main pillars of service.
Link to official NHL article: https://www.nhl.com/news/arizona-coyotes-partner-with-modern-rockstars-on-black-excellence-warm-341473880