‘Top secret’ tracksuits for ‘Ted Lasso’ cast made in Portland

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – Portland Garment Factory, a full-service soft goods manufacturer, has been a longtime partner with Nike, but their latest collaboration offered them a unique opportunity: Making tracksuits for the cast of “Ted Lasso” to wear to PEOPLE’s Post Screen Actors Guild Awards Gala in February.

“It’s kind of the best trio ever, because it’s the cast of ‘Ted Lasso’ and what they were wearing at the SAG Awards, and then designed by Nike, and built by Portland Garment Factory,” said Britt Howard, founder and owner of Portland Garment Factory.

The idea for the matching tracksuits came from the “Ted Lasso” cast, who wanted to commemorate their last appearance together at a major award show following the end of their third season, according to PGF. “Ted Lasso” received several nominations at the February 2024 SAG Awards — including nominations for outstanding performance by an ensemble in a comedy series, and nominations for performances by Hannah Waddingham, Brett Goldstein and Jason Sudeikis.

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Few details about the tracksuit project were available, however, Howard said she gathered clues after seeing patches with the Nike and AFC Richmond logos.

“I just played it really cool,” Howard recalled. “Of course I knew what team it was, and I was like ‘No problem. We’re on it.'”

“I didn’t even know what it was for, I don’t even think that it was a secret as much as we’re just busy, they were really busy, and we’re taking the information as it came. And then to find out it’s for the SAG Awards…that was also really cool,” she explained.

Howard said the team later saw the fruits of their labor in an Instagram post from People Magazine showing the cast dancing at the post-SAG Awards party in the suits.

“We were just like ‘Oh my gosh!’ Because sometimes we do these projects and they’re high profile and we never see where they go,” Howard explained. “We also move on to the next project. We’re not digging for the information because we’re very busy, so it was really cool to kind of play it cool and then share in the excitement afterwards.”

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In two weeks, Portland Garment Factory made 30 matching tracksuits — uniting the Greyhounds while leaving room for cast members to add their own personalities to the fit.

“The end result was this really fabulous wearable for the whole cast that was matching, but what was cool about it is that we created the garment in a way that made it so they could be very easily tailorable…and so after we shipped them out, everyone could go get them tailored to their vibe. So, you’ll see in the pictures that there’s certain people that are wearing it baggy, or certain people who got it really cropped so they can have their own personality in the tracksuit,” Howard said.

“It felt very top secret and it’s really fun that it’s finally out in the world because it was very under wraps for a moment. But my family is a huge ‘Ted Lasso’ family, so it was kind of incredible because at first we didn’t even know what we were really making and then when it came to light, we’re like, ‘Oh my gosh, this is so cool,’” Howard said.

Having a part in the cast’s soirée made Howard feel more connected to the show and the “Ted Lasso” community.

“It’s very much like, ‘Hey, they’re my friends…Jason Sudeikis is my old friend,’ because you already feel so friendly with them because the characters are so friendly on the show. Then to see them wearing something you were touching yesterday, and you had it in your hands, it’s a great feeling,” Howard said.

Her favorite part of the project was seeing the community’s reaction to the suits.

“I was really taken aback. I didn’t understand the fandom around ‘Ted Lasso’ and of course Nike has its own fandom, so the collision there really caught me off guard. It’s been really fun to hear how excited people are and I think it’s one of our most engaged-with social media things of all time and it feels really good to be a part of it,” Howard said.

“I think it’s always good to remember that because making things can be so hard when you’re in the weeds of a deadline, and it can be very stressful, it’s good to take a moment and see the fruits of your labor and the excitement it brings to other people and know that’s actually really fun. It gives somebody something to be excited about in a world that otherwise can be hard.”

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