Ronnie Fieg Is the New York Knicks' Creative Director: Here’s Everything You Need to Know
Ronnie Fieg and New York City go together like peanut butter and jelly. Born and bred in Queens, some of Fieg’s earliest memories involve going to New York Knicks games with his father. Now, Fieg is shooting his shot with the very same team he grew up idolising.
Assuming the new role as creative director, Fieg and his team at will have their hands full laying down the foundation for success.
So what does all of this actually mean? We decided to get to the bottom of Fieg’s new role and look how it’s set to impact one of the most prestigious teams in global sport.
Let's go Knicks!
Who’s Ronnie Fieg?
Been living under a rock for the past decade? No apologies necessary. Ronnie Fieg founded streetwear royalty Kith in 2011. First throwing open its doors in Brooklyn and Manhattan in 2011, Kith has grown to become an extremely influential brand in sneakers and fashion.
Fieg began his journey at David Z, his uncle's downtown footwear store, where he became head buyer and manager. In 2007, approached Fieg to collaborate on a model from their archives. Fieg selects the ASICS a favourite model from his childhood. The collaboration kickstarts Fieg’s career. He appears on the cover of the Wall Street Journal and the Ronnie Fieg x ASICS GEL-Lyte III ‘252 Pack’ sells out in less than 24 hours.
Prolific collaborators, Kith have hooked up with the likes of HBO, and this year.
Next on the menu? The New York Knicks.
What’s the gig?
Ronnie Fieg will be the creative director for the New York Knicks. It’s the very first time the organisation has hired someone for the role, and according to Kith, it will see ‘Ronnie take on responsibilities that will focus on building a community around international brand, as well as developing an in-house line of products.'
It’s not the first time Fieg has worked with his beloved Knickerbockers. In 2020, Fieg announced a collaborative apparel collection that also included designing the Knicks City Edition jerseys. The partnership also extended to the hardwood and blacktop, with Kith designing the home court at Madison Square Garden and refurbishing a playground court in Queens, where Fieg grew up.
The role as creative director was therefore a natural progression for the partnership.
Why the Knicks?
It’s no secret Fieg is a die-hard Knicks fan. Attending games with his father were some of his earliest memories, and Kith often uses Knicks folklore to inspire their collections and storytelling.
‘I think they saw the passion I have for the team and wanted to evolve what we’ve been doing with Kith into something more.’ Fieg said in a statement. 'Long conversations about what the Knicks mean to the League and to the world helped shape the opportunity to really do some special things.
I think the immediate work calls for consistency in how you view the Knicks as a brand and help grow that to more of a global identity in the long run. I feel that many people love the team, and it’s going to be my responsibility that they also all love the brand the same way I do.'
When was the partnership announced?
With such game-changing news, it was only fitting that Fieg would unveil it in the most epic fashion imaginable. Taking over Madison Square Garden for ‘Kith Night’ on November 11, Ronnie launched the 2022-2023 City Edition uniforms and court – both designed by Kith.
Upon entry to MSG, fans were gifted a copy of a Kith and SLAM commemorative Knicks magazine, with each seat also coming with a Knicks towel created in collaboration with Stella Artois. But that’s not all! Kith also loaded t-shirt cannons with tees from their upcoming collection, launched during timeouts and halftime.
When is the first collection available?
The first collection with Fieg in his new role has already dropped. It includes a wool coaches jacket, leather varsity jacket, satin sports jacket, combo stitch cardigan, knit turbo shorts, delk hockey hoodie, Williams III hoodie vintage tees, and snapback caps. Launching at a pop-up shop at Madison Square Garden, an online release followed up one day later on November 12.
Wait, Raekwon and Ghostface Killah were involved?
Yep! It wouldn’t be a Ronnie Fieg production without some heavyweight cameos. Two New York City legends, Raekwon and Ghostface Killah were originally members of the electrifying hip hop group, Wu-Tang Clan. Fieg tapped the two rappers to help launch the collaboration, both of them spitting rhymes about some of the Knicks most iconic moments.
What’s next?
A lot. Ronnie and his Kith imprint are insatiable collaborators. Expect Fieg to pound the ball into the hardwood harder than James Harden in the coming weeks and months.
What about the Brooklyn Nets?
What about them?