Bridging Italian Sport Heritage with
Contemporary Street Style
Lotto NYC
CLIENT
Design Director, Brand Creative
GMI USA Corp Leadership, Product Development, Marketing, Sales
18 months
GMI USA Corp
ROLE
TEAM
TIMELINE
OBJECTIVE
GMI USA Corp, a leading licensing partner, collaborates with major retailers including Nordstrom, Bloomingdale's, and Macy's in both B2B and B2C markets. The company developed a new streetwear brand under the Lotto Sport Italia license, blending athletic heritage with modern street style to establish a unique market position.
PROJECT
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Directed development and launch of three mass-produced collections and Atmos capsule collection, optimizing sourcing and manufacturing processes
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Designed and directed brand collateral across digital platforms (email campaigns, social media content, website design) and physical touchpoints (packaging, trade show booths, print materials, retail concepts)
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Led cross-functional initiatives across sales, marketing, creative, and stakeholder teams to ensure successful market execution
PROBLEM STATEMENT
How can we transform Lotto Sport Italia's heritage into a commercially viable streetwear brand for the US B2B and B2C markets?
KEY ACHIEVEMENTS
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Successfully launched three mass-produced collections through premium e-commerce platforms (Nordstrom.com, NeimanMarcus.com), establishing digital-first market presence
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Executed strategic Atmos capsule collection, strengthening brand's streetwear credibility across digital and physical retail channels
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Optimized sourcing and manufacturing processes, reducing development timeline by 25% while maintaining quality standards
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Developed and implemented a strong visual brand identity that successfully merged athletic heritage with contemporary street style for digital and physical retail channels
RESEARCH
Analysis of Premium
Streetwear Brands
We evaluated several brands within our intended demographic to inform our marketing position and strategy.
We started with a wide range of streetwear brands including Aimé Leon Dore, BAPE, Carhartt WIP, Heron Preston, Kith, Noah, Off-White, Palace, and Undefeated. We narrowed the list to our top three competitors: Aimé Leon Dore, Kith, and Noah.
TAKEAWAYS
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Differentiate Lotto NYC
Incorporate Italian sport heritage to create a fusion of street style and European athletic tradition
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Create a sophisticated market position
​move away from hype-driven trends to target upscale retailers like Nordstrom and Saks.
BRAND HISTORY
Lotto Sport Italia's peak from the 70s to early '00s inspired our start-up's retro-style collections. We focused on:
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Brand inception in 1973
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Sponsored teams and athletes
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Graphic direction, colors, fabrics, and silhouettes from this era
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Soccer focus, particularly AC Milan and Juventus, iconic Italian teams
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Incorporating current trends that reference this period
TEAMS
PLAYERS
Lotto Sport Italia: Historical Sponsored Teams and Athletes
BRAND DEVELOPMENT
Cultivating an Identity
Brand development focused on creating a unique identity that fused Italian sports heritage with New York street culture, targeting sophisticated yet fashion forward consumers.
The process involved developing detailed customer personas, crafting a distinct brand personality, and creating a strong visual identity through carefully crafted styles, graphics and colors to appeal to the streetwear market.
PERSONA
BIO
Lucas is an advertising manager at a mid-sized agency. Lucas has a strong fashion sense and mainly shops online. He likes to find new brands with a point of view and / or unexpected collabs. Lucas tends toward streetwear and athleisure that can be dressed up for work. Lucas' girlfriend Mia also enjoys shopping and finding items he can wear.
GOALS
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Expressing his unique personal style
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Standing out in his professional and social circles
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Supporting brands with strong values and compelling narratives
PAIN POINTS
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Difficulty finding brands that balance sophistication with street style
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Frustrated by mass-market fashion lacking authenticity or quality
LUCAS
AGE: 33
MARITAL STATUS: Has a girlfriend
OCCUPATION: Advertising Manager
LOCATION: Los Angeles, CA
INCOME: 165K
BRAND PERSONALITY
EVOLVING THE LOGO
We tried several ways to add "NYC" to the Lotto logo. After testing different fonts and colors, we settled on using black for "NYC".
This choice maintained the logo's versatility across seasons and applications while complementing the colorful, graphic nature of the brand.
Logo exploration adding NYC in the same font as Lotto
A
B
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A - Exploration of NYC placement by original
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B - Color exploration
Further exploration of NYC with chosen placement
LINE DEVELOPMENT
Spring Collection: La Gazetta
THEME
Our first collection was inspired by a 2006 La Gazzetta dello Sport newspaper cover featuring Luca Toni, celebrating Italy's World Cup semi-final win over Germany.
MOOD BOARD
La Gazzetta dello Sport's bold color blocks inspired our styling.
We incorporated multicolor prints, bold typography, layering, and paper-like effects to evoke a retro newspaper feel.
PANTONE 19-0303 TCX
CYMK 0 0 0 0
RGB 255 255 255
HEX 321F20
PANTONE 17-1324 TCX
CYMK 33 52 64 11
RGB 50 31 32
HEX 9C7961
PANTONE 18 -1655 TCX
CYMK 11 100 97 3
RGB 190 30 45
HEX BE1E2D
PANTONE 14-0852 TCX
CYMK 3 13 11 0
RGB 239 222 216
HEX EFDED8
PANTONE 18 -3949 TCX
CYMK 89 71 0 0
RGB 23 79 204
HEX 174FCC
La Gazetta: Selected Development
A RETRO REMIX:
COLORBLOCK HOODIE:
The colorblock hoodie and shorts showcased bold color with a retro feel to appeal to the streetwear consumer.
We used unexpected text placements at the shoulder and back chest with bold, clear fonts that would evoke sports fonts as seen on soccer jerseys.
KIT STRIPES REBORN:
MESH | TERRY POLO & SHORT
Our Mesh / Terry Polo and Short featured bold black stripes inspired by AC Milan and Juventus soccer jerseys.
JERSEY NUMBERS REIMAGINED:
NUMBERS PRINT
We were inspired to create the “Numbers” print from the bold numbers on the back of soccer jerseys
We wanted to show a layered image to read 1, 2 or 3 depending on how the viewer sees it. We also used a paper-like effect to tie the artwork back to the newspaper theme.
ATMOS COLLAB
Lotto's Strategic Partnership
with Atmos
A strategic collaboration with Atmos played a crucial role in Lotto's entry into the competitive streetwear market.
This partnership leveraged Atmos's established reputation to enhance Lotto's credibility and visibility within this landscape.
COLLAB PROCESS POINTS
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Developed logo lockup with Atmos team.
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Created capsule assortment in collaboration with Atmos which influenced Lotto's line.
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Adjusted silhouettes based on Atmos' streetwear research.
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Added all-over print cargo with NEWSPAPER PRINT to unify capsule's visual appeal.
LINE DEVELOPMENT
Summer Collection: The Golden Boot
During our sophomore season, we continued to hone our brand narrative to resonate with key cultural touchstones and our target demographic.
THEME
We drew inspiration from Italian football and striker Luca Toni's Golden Boot win while sponsored by Lotto. We incorporated the dual-use nature of Italian stadiums for sports and concerts, linking streetwear with music culture to appeal to our target audience.
GRAPHIC DIRECTION
Taking cues from 70s to early 00s aesthetics, we incorporated graphic elements influenced by David Carson's work for RayGun Magazine (1992-2000).
Known for its progressive approach to advertising, music, and pop culture, Carson's deconstructive typography and experimental layouts inspired our designs, supporting Lotto's strategy for innovative and distinctive visuals.
MOOD BOARD
Gold and Yellow shades reflect the "Golden Boot" inspiration.
Various yellow hues represent gold. Our design draws from contemporary 3D imagery and inverted color trends, creating an intentionally imperfect, digitized aesthetic.
PANTONE 19-0303 TCX
HEX 321F20
PANTONE 17-0636 TCX
HEX 857946
PANTONE 11-0604 TCX
HEX 857946
PANTONE 14-0755 TCX
HEX DDB614
PANTONE 12-0660 TCX
HEX DDB614
PANTONE 17-3914 TCX
HEX 848587
The Golden Boot: Selected Development
NOSTALGIC AUDIO:
CASSETTE TAPE PRINT
We created a retro cassette graphic appealing to streetwear customers by mixing music nostalgia with contemporary glitch art.
The result is a versatile graphic that captures the intersection of retro cool and street edge, resonating with fashion-conscious consumers who value music-inspired style.
A PLAYFUL TYPOGRAPHY EXPERIMENT:
CARNIVAL PRINT
We created the Carnival Print to showcase vibrant color graphics and expand on our creative experimentation with typography and layering.
The original inspiration came from Japanese art (artist unknown). The image of a carnival ride with inverted photocopy effects evoked the aesthetic we were seeking.
LINE DEVELOPMENT
Fall Collection: 1982
By our third season, we had developed and refined a clear signature aesthetic and established specific guidelines for both our design approach and print selections, creating a more cohesive brand identity.
THEME
This theme focused on the 1982 FIFA World Cup where Italy defeated West Germany 3-1. The theme also drew from 1982 pop culture, including films like Blade Runner and Tron.
MOOD BOARD
For this concept, we aimed to blend nostalgic elements from the 1980s with a modern, futuristic sensibility. Drawing inspiration from the iconic sci-fi films Tron and Blade Runner, the overall look features bold, neon-tinged color palettes and sharp geometric shapes.
Echoing the retro-futuristic style of 1980s techno-pop bands and airbrushed artwork, the graphics use dynamic lighting effects, glowing outlines, and contrasts between light and dark, positive and negative space.
1982: Selected Development
RETRO-FUTURE FUSION:
TRON PRINT
Drawing from the visuals of Tron and the dynamic movement of the AC Milan soccer team, the artwork created a nostalgic yet futuristic aesthetic that appealed to our customers seeking colorful, cutting-edge products.
HIGH CONTRAST THROWBACK:
TODAY ITALY PRINT
Inspiration for this artwork was a magazine cover graphic with the phrase “Today Italy” and created a similar visual to fit in well with our 1982 theme.
CONCLUSION
The Lotto NYC Journey
After four seasons, Lotto NYC was acquired and rebranded. Despite challenges, this experience provided valuable insights into consumer preferences and market strategies, preparing us for future fashion industry ventures.
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​Effective leveraging of Italian heritage as differentiator in saturated NYC-branded market
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Strong collaboration strategy driving brand awareness
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Built valuable consumer insights database
Successes:
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Market saturation with NYC-themed brands
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Resource-intensive requirements of high-profile influencer partnerships
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Complex rebranding process
Challenges:
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Brand differentiation is critical in crowded markets
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Heritage storytelling can provide competitive advantage
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High profile influencers and strategic collaborations are essential for market penetration
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Consumer insights remain valuable assets post-exit
Takeaways:
NEXT