Within the hazy noon gentle of a neighborhood pitch in Atlanta, Sekou Thornell watches as a gathering of younger gamers transfer fluidly throughout the sector, their interactions transcending mere sport. For Thornell, artistic director and founding father of Kitboys Membership and model marketer for Atlanta United, these moments characterize the end result of a imaginative and prescient years within the making.
Soccer has all the time been greater than only a sport to Thornell, an adidas HBE honoree whose profession spans a number of dimensions of the game’s tradition. His deliberate method displays the thoughtfulness he brings to his work as he operates on the intersection of brand name technique, product growth, and group organizing.
With Kitboys Membership, Thornell has created what many describe as a platform for genuine soccer tradition — one which resonates significantly with communities traditionally underrepresented in American soccer areas. His day-to-day work encompasses all the pieces from product design and experiences to artwork course and editorial storytelling.
On the core of Thornell’s skilled identification lies a profound perception within the energy of sport to forge group bonds. His tenet facilities on creating significant connections by shared experiences, significantly in areas the place numerous communities can deepen their relationship with fútbol over time.
As each a artistic strategist and lifelong scholar of the gorgeous sport, Thornell continues to craft environments the place soccer tradition thrives, providing belonging to those that beforehand stood at its margins.
What function do you imagine Atlanta performs in shaping the way forward for American soccer, particularly for Black youth and creatives?
In the beginning, Atlanta’s all the time been a hub of black tradition. For us, if you happen to have a look at throughout the spectrum positively within the sport, I come from the sporting facet of it too, so a number of our skills all the time been there.
It’s simply all the time been like both an absence of assets or an absence of a approach out. From the model facet of issues, we took that underdog mentality that Atlanta all the time has. We all the time really feel like we quantity two. However we actually needs to be primary.
You carry that with you, and then you definitely sort of push that to the forefront and permit your self to push your boundaries a bit. So I feel for me, we take the swag, we take the ethos we take simply the tradition of the town by way of, it’s a hub for black excellence because it stands all the way in which from civil rights to sports activities, you title it.
It’s all the time been there. We take that with us, even if you happen to have a look at a number of the membership wherein is constructed from, is a number of the identical black youth I performed with rising up within the sport of soccer, and we simply sort of banded collectively and stated, we’re going to search out our personal approach, and that’s the Atlanta spirit.
Partnership with Adidas, this complete thought. How does that empower you as a cultural creator and Black soccer gamers?
It simply empowers a conduit. From our standpoint, we’re representatives of our tradition, particularly black tradition right here within the metropolis. Lots of the time, one thing both lacks assets, infrastructure or one of many two.
We’ve accomplished a very good job of constructing that infrastructure, discovering cultural methods to deliver extra black folks into the shop and discover love by it, whether or not or not it’s by sneakers and vogue, whether or not or not it’s by the music facet of issues, whether or not or not it’s by leisure.
We use that as cultural, adjoining advertising and marketing efforts to sort of hey! You could find some love in right here. Come, comply with us, come, be a part of us. You could find some love in it. I feel, for us, it’s like we simply wanted a small megaphone to ensure, we simply placing that on a broader scope and sort of broaden. In the end, too, we’d like much more influence on the grassroots stage, whatever the business you from.
Our ethos from the day one is to search out methods to influence our grassroots, however sustainably. And we simply lack the assets to take action. They’ve simply sort of been an effort to be a conduit to what we’re, after which once more, a conduit for us—what we’re to the town and a number of the Black youth ballers, whether or not they’re nonetheless of their taking part in days or within the artistic business of it.
How do you see your work influencing the subsequent era and provoking them by this intersection of collaboration and cultural motion?
It’s actually the latter man. Each step of the way in which you want an idea to see what the boundary is and the way you push past it. I feel that’s our largest ethos as a model. It’s like we solely knew the the realm of soccer from one standpoint. It was on subject, and even there we had been the minority.
So in terms of platforms, and the way you construct a model, or infiltrate the sport of soccer, we needed to be the proof of idea after which perceive what the field is, so we are able to get exterior of the field, like what’s that subsequent step? As a result of finally, on the finish of the day somebody has to guide the cost, and somebody has to comply with go well with. That’s the cycle of life to us.
Whether or not or not it’s one thing straight we do, or it would simply be one thing so simple as vogue within the sport, or it might be simply music and incorporating it. I don’t know bars and stuff like that. However on the finish of the day for us it’s such as you gotta be the proof of idea. You gotta depart the cost, after which any individual’s developing underneath you, and that’s how the cycle of life retains pushing in, and we continue to grow collectively.
What did it really feel like while you first noticed your imaginative and prescient come to life in each partnership and product, and the way did it form what you felt you can obtain subsequent?
In hindsight, it was simply the battery you wanted to maintain going, lots of people and a number of manufacturers, a number of platforms typically you don’t get actual success. Yr 5, yr six, yr seven. We sort of began in 2017, 2018. So by time you’re like, I’ve one thing in my thoughts. I really feel prefer it might work.
So then, you get this affirmation, this blessing to once more do the work that actually issues to you which ones is goal pushed and on high of that, you get the the affirmation you headed in the appropriate course.
Meaning the subsequent ten years I obtained one other battery to go ten extra. On the finish of the day, it’s like, how will we maintain the journey and simply not stop? It permits us to know that we’re on course. We obtained the appropriate North Star. It’s as much as us to domesticate it, as we perceive our duty. However on the finish of the day it’s like, typically you simply want that affirmation to only get up and go once more. Go at it, and simply really feel such as you obtained that love for it.
As a result of will probably be arduous, like everyone knows and it’s by no means simple. However while you obtained that battery you get up each morning able to go once more, that for me is what this challenge is finished for us.
How necessary is proof of idea and why be small earlier than you simply throw all of your cash at one thought?
Issues evolve so rapidly, particularly now, you have a look at at present, you have a look at media prefer it’s necessary to know your self earlier than you’ll be able to actually create one thing that impacts others. I’m a giant believer in that. So, I’m going by life the place I’m altering a little bit of an identification, I come from taking part in facet of it like that’s all I ever know.
I had hope, goals. For me to go in opposition to an idea and create one thing that expands to different folks. It’d be unfair as a result of I don’t have a full perspective on what it takes, the wants of the folks, the methods, the pipelines to take action. It takes growth to really be a grasp.
I wanted the ten,000 hours, I wanted a coaching atmosphere to guarantee that, what I do is for the group, and I can deal with that duty in one of the best ways, as a result of at that time I don’t assume I’d be, and no one is, such as you don’t wish to be liable for one thing, and also you don’t actually look after it. Study the ups, the downs, the nuances to guide any individual down that path, after which what, they find yourself identical place you might be. It takes time.
The ten,000 hours is essential journey, and in hindsight what I noticed, the extra you’re keen on that journey the better it turns into, and you continue to don’t get to the place you’ll want to go.
Curiosity. How do you stay curious as a artistic and why is that phrase necessary to imaginative and prescient?
The curiosity fuels the expansion. It’s very simple to get complacent in a number of issues. For curiosity particularly, we took of venture on a little bit of a darkish horse, on the time soccer remains to be a little bit bit underground. It’s not essentially the most distinguished sport right here. It’s the underdog in that. And I feel for us, the curiosity of discovering the proof of idea. Perhaps we’ve seen it abroad at one time. Perhaps we’ve seen it.
This soccer participant obtained this sneaker on. Okay, there’s an intersection there. EAFC obtained the identical dance that we danced to out right here in Atlanta. There’s an intersection there. So the curiosity comes. We nearly as artistic as we’d like that to search out like, oh, we are able to peel that layer again. Oh, we are able to go this manner with it, or we are able to go that approach with it, and with out that it doesn’t let you absolutely sprout and develop. If you happen to assume it solely goes a technique, you’re solely gonna perceive it from one lens.
In the end the curiosity builds the angle. And when you’ve gotten that nicely rounded, simply extra outward perspective on which lanes you’ll be able to go. You possibly can go left hand. You go proper hand, while you perceive these then it’s like, okay, now I’m charged to attempt the idea.
Typically curiosity results in failure, and the one approach you’ll be able to actually like get previous the failures, if you happen to see, like the opposite possibility, the educational lesson out of it. So, it’s curious to determine why you’re feeling curious to really feel why you need, and simply maintain going, from that perspective.
How do you draw inspiration from artistic heroes like Virgil Abloh and others to say, “I hear you, and now you’ll be able to see me”?
The very best factor Virgil did for us, and once more, he was one in all my early pioneers, and he made you’re feeling like you can do it, too. And what that’s reverse translated as is just like I’ma pour again into you and present you that. Okay, that is my journey. You see the place I come from. You see how I obtained to the place I went.
It’s simply the identical for a similar particular person subsequent to you. I simply took it this manner, and I took it this course. What he did was all the time discover sustainable methods to offer again and pay homage, which, once more, one in all our largest issues is the ethos by way of the the membership itself.
However he made you’re feeling like you can do it too. So when you concentrate on the person who’s coming behind you, it’s like, Yeah, I’m gonna break down this barrier and I’m gonna present you ways I’m doing it. However on the identical time, right here’s some assets. On the identical time, right here’s this group occasion, so you may get concerned. On the identical time, right here’s all these activations of how I’m impacting my group when he constructed that skate park in Nigeria, persons are like Yo, that’s completely different.
Why, you assume Africa, is just like the skateboard. However once more, that’s his approach of giving again. They usually did. They used it, they usually loved it. Lots of people wouldn’t assume that except you actually know who your roots are, the place it comes from and the belongings you take pleasure in. He’s all the time paid it again in sustainability, however he’s additionally made you the way in which he led his journey and what you imagine in because the creator of Virgil Abloh is like, I can do it too. And it’s simply how you actually use that message from that perspective.
While you put on your armor as a part of a membership, what message do you wish to ship to the world?
What I’m saying is, all the pieces I ever discovered by on the image in life was accomplished by different folks, like all the pieces I discovered on the pitch was by ten different folks I performed with, it doesn’t matter what thought you bought, it doesn’t matter what perspective you might need, teamwork make the dream work.
You possibly can’t do something on this life by your self. And the brotherhood idea of it’s what actually mattered essentially the most to me, actually and actually it was simply an outlet for lots of the folks I grew as much as discover love past the sport, and simply be certain your identification wasn’t too shaken otherwise you wasn’t going by it.
Publish yours, not taking part in anymore, it’s a tough transition. However while you a unit and also you all aiming for the one North Star, you discover solace, and different folks round you preventing for one mission the identical factor you’d do in sport. We simply discovered a unique angle at it.
In the end, the objective is that all the pieces you’ll want to do is thru any individual else, and also you gotta pour into folks and that’s the entire cycle. Life too, in state of affairs like love, brotherhood and ensuring you’re paying it down for it. Like all these issues are like the way in which we have to transfer. And yeah, it’s not ego. It’s by no means ego, it’s extra so how will we contribute to ourselves and the issues behind us.
It’s not 100 level sport. How necessary is it to only concentrate on that one rating at a time for anyone who’s actually making an attempt to make it?
The the toughest factor I needed to study, too, and I feel this resonates with the identical sentiments like while you up the rating, even when it’s plus 2 that’s 1 foot in entrance of the opposite. What folks don’t actually perceive is, it’s by no means actually the expertise or the perfectionism of it. It’s the one in entrance of the opposite. In the future at a time. One failure! Oh, that’s a win! That’s a failure. Oh, that’s a win. However it doesn’t matter what goes round and what you expertise, it’s actually the movement of placing one foot in entrance of the opposite.
What a number of creatives and lots of people and typically we endure with like rattling that! L. Took us a few steps backwards we’d relaxation a bit, or, oh, that win was actually good. We climbed them out.
We obtained to the highest, however now I’m drained. Theoretically talking, the entire objective was by no means to a 100%. I feel one hundred percent, all occasions is a false impression you’re going to burn out, you’re gonna get injured, 70% constantly for the subsequent 10, 12 years is both time or consistency.
You assume I spend a number of time getting there, otherwise you’re going to be constant sufficient to the place you may get there. However the finish of the day you continue to gonna get there. I feel that’s what it extra so speaks to, is that one foot in entrance of the opposite. That’s the consistency you’ll want to go, and that’s the the place you’ll want to root your self in, not what occurs from a end result standpoint.
Once we consider the title Artistic Director, did you ever imagine or assume that you’d be a artistic director?
At first I didn’t. Lots of it was paying homage to Virgil. Truly once more, while you see, on the finish of the day. He was a artistic director, however no one actually knew what that title meant. And now that I’m in a bit extra of a enterprise skilled standpoint. I see what the function of artistic director technically is.
For me what I didn’t assume I’d, however the extra I peeled again once more. My pops is massive within the seventies and eighties period. He was a B-boy, Run DMC, all Adidas. You wouldn’t catch him not carrying Adidas. He’s a graffiti artist, so he’s artistic by commerce. He’s a barber in Atlanta, all the time personal his personal store. However that’s the place the artistic facet of it actually took place.
Once I perceive, my favourite function within the pitch, is the quantity 10, so which on the quantity 10, principally, you the conductor, you conduct the tempo. You play at proper, you conduct which we go left, proper backwards entrance. It grew to become a mixture of two of these views. After which it led into artistic course. So once more, like I’ve all the time had a artistic background, that’s all the time been.
I come from a household of painters and artists. However after I take into consideration my fashion on the pitch. That’s after I actually started to consider the conductor, and like, what does he do? He creates the play.
For me, that’s when the course a part of it like which approach we gonna go. That is how we have to push it. That got here in and that’s what I assumed a artistic director was in hindsight is admittedly simply the man who controls the artistic division, graphics design. However when you concentrate on the nuance time period of it now, it’s like, Yeah, you, the conductor of the ship. You’re the artistic director, how we go creatively.
No, it’s top-of-the-line. It’s one of many coolest titles I’ve had, and it’s one thing I’ve in my enterprise. I work on the membership now as nicely, Atlanta United. I sort of play conductor there too, and it simply offers me a unique atmosphere to take action.
What would the title of your commencement speech be, and what challenges would you give the subsequent era?
Oh, that’s an excellent one. I like this query. Assume I’d title it, what’s your goal? However after I would give the speech, it might extra so be about how are you pushed in life past your self? What are you doing? Trigger like while you actually take into consideration what actually issues on this life.
You don’t carry it to the grave. Typically it’s legacy, typically it’s what you construct, typically it’s the message you carry, typically it’s all of these items. So like after I requested the query, what’s your goal is like while you stepped exterior of your self? What was your legacy and what would that actually imply? and what would you wish to create? I feel that will be the synergy of it.
And extra so, difficult folks to love, you bought this diploma is for you, and on the finish of the day you can carry it with you. However what does that imply? What are you doing with that past the cash that goes in your pocket, and I feel once we all begin to assume like that, then we owe a duty to the person subsequent of us, after which all of us collectively, as a human race for that half.
Develop up and get higher collectively and share extra love and extra, simply bonds typically. I feel we’re actually separated now, too. I feel that’ll assist general simply construct issues a bit extra.
What’s it like in ATL with the expectation for younger entrepreneurs to succeed and assist one another within the artistic group?
That’s essentially the most stunning half in regards to the metropolis, like one factor about it, too, is like when any individual sees you working in a course they wish to assist that, they actually do wish to see you fly such a decent knit metropolis to the purpose the place, such as you obtained some movement, they proper behind you, serving to push that movement. I feel for us, is simply to know that all of us occupy a chunk of the pie. And the larger mission right here is the collective to develop.
When the collective grows, then we will be checked out like, yeah, we New York. We L.A, we’ve our personal persona the way in which we stroll, the way in which we discuss proper on the finish of the day Atlanta has given us a lot as a metropolis. I feel a part of our duty is ensuring that we give some again and provides some again to the stuff behind us. I feel it’s this, the constructing out of this constructing out the block idea, it’s no completely different. Collectively, we’ve to proceed to search out that as a artistic group, and as soon as we’ve infrastructure, then our greenbacks can go into the appropriate locations.
Then the appropriate folks get acknowledged, for the accolades. It’s not this company from New York making an attempt to do one thing otherwise out right here proper like. And we sort of get this run over. I feel finally, we simply want to ensure we obtained a duty to our piece of the pie and know that there’s a mission past us, and once we try this, all the pieces will come up, and we’ll all profit from that holistically.