Exhibitions
The Iconic Jersey: Baseball x Fashion June 12 – September 12, 2021 Models wearing the Ghana Baseball Jersey, designed by MIZIZI International, LLC. Photographed by Kwesi Yanful (@kwesithethird) with creative direction by Temi Thomas (@temithomas).
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ust over a mile from the Worcester Art Museum, Polar Park—home of the newly minted Worcester Red Sox—is slated to open this spring. Bringing the Triple-A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox to Worcester and building a new professional ball park here is part of what many are calling the city’s “Renaissance.” Eager to participate in this monumental occasion and celebrate Worcester’s growing cultural and economic vitality, WAM has developed an exhibition that fans of baseball—and fashion—will love. The Iconic Jersey: Baseball x Fashion, puts the spotlight on the most visual, symbolic, and for many, the most cherished aspect of the sport. Today, the jersey is not only found on the diamond or in the stands, but also on the street and the runway. From the covers of music albums to the crowds at Fashion Week, the baseball jersey has come to represent more than a team or an individual player. It has also come to reflect a larger commentary about culture, identity, and status. In addition, it can recall forgotten narratives, promote social change, and subvert the status quo. The jersey unifies and divides, and at the same time has sparked a lasting stylistic shift in how and why Americans engage with sportswear in the everyday. Accessible and recognizable, yet often overlooked for its familiarity, the baseball jersey captures the imagination—from Little Leaguers to couture designers. To don a baseball jersey is to engage in more than 170 years of baseball fashion and design history. How did the baseball jersey, a garment intended as a sporting uniform, transform into a fashion statement and platform to express creativity and social commentary? The Iconic Jersey explores
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this question and many more by unraveling the historical threads of the baseball shirt and examining the interwoven aesthetic stories of technological innovation, societal change, and the lure of nostalgia. Featuring more than 35 historic and contemporary jerseys and baseball-inspired fashion, the show traces the development, experimentation, and dissemination of the iconic American-style baseball shirt in the sport, on the runway, and in everyday life. The exhibition is divided into three sections that allow for aesthetic rumination and intellectual curiosity. Most of us have encountered the distinct shape and style of today’s baseball jersey: a short-sleeved, collarless button-down shirt with the player’s name and number on the back. “The Modern Jersey” traces the graphic time line of artistic choices in the garment. Often perceived as timeless, the baseball jersey underwent several transformations before settling on the recognizable design we associate with the sport today. Far from static, baseball jerseys move through cycles of nostalgia and fashion-forward modernity. But even as the jersey evolves, it holds tight to certain customs of dress and design, instilling a belief in the traditional form of the American-style baseball jersey, although contemporary sportswear designers are looking for a change. “Experimental Design” examines tailoring decisions that deviate from the traditional jersey shape. From practical modifications to the superfluous, these jersey alterations illustrate fashion trends and potential future evolutions. In a sport where tradition reigns supreme, change is generally perceived negatively. But fashion is ever-changing, even in baseball, and what was once the subject of sartorial tirades now garners respect and popularity.
The final section, “Off the Field,” looks at how the baseball jersey became the ultimate symbol of fandom and its emergence in luxury design and streetwear. When baseball fans donned their favorite replica jerseys to games or sports bars, they normalized sportswear in the everyday. Without fan fashion, the baseball jersey would not carry the same pop culture status that is so appealing to designers as inspiration for off-the-field clothing ranging from streetwear to haute couture. Displayed alongside fabric swatch books, logo designs, and historic photographs, these garments demonstrate creativity, craftsmanship, and culture that operate inside and out of the ballpark—and tell a fascinating story about the long-standing collaborative intersection of baseball and fashion. We hope The Iconic Jersey adds to the excitement surrounding the opening of Polar Park and gives WooSox fans another reason to cheer this summer. —Erin Corrales-Diaz, Ph.D., Assistant Curator of American Art The Iconic Jersey: Baseball x Fashion is made possible through the generous support from the Fletcher Foundation. Additional support is provided by the Arthur M. and Martha R. Pappas Foundation, Bill and Joan Alfond Foundation, Lunder FoundationPeter and Paula Lunder family, Murray Family Charitable Foundation, Larry and Stacey Lucchino, Cynthia L. Strauss and Harry A. Sherr, and an anonymous donor. This project is also funded in part by the Don and Mary Melville Contemporary Art Fund, Ruth and John Adam, Jr. Exhibition Fund, Hall and Kate Peterson Fund, Heald Curatorial Fund, and Michie Family Curatorial Fund. Sponsored by:
Media Partner: Opposite: Wright & Ditson (American, founded 1871), Boston Red Sox Uniform Shirt, worn by Jesse Tannehill, 1908, wool flannel, National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, B-176-61
