October 10, 2023
As the Phillies continue their quest for a World Series title, some players and many fans have elevated their Red October wardrobes, wearing overalls in the colors and styles of the team's jerseys.
The overalls — which are sold in red, pinstriped and retro powder blue to match the different uniforms the team wears — made waves among Phillies fans during the summer when all the entire team wore pinstriped pairs for a travel day. Since then, the garments have become a staple at clubhouse celebrations — like after the Phillies clinched a wild card spot last month and after they won their series against the Florida Marlins last week — and among people in the stands at Citizens Bank Park.
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"You know how people say if you own a Jeep Wrangler, there's a 'Jeep wave.' Everybody does a little wave to each other when they see each other on the road," said Kathryn Lewis, marketing manager at FOCO, the sports merchandise company that sell the overalls. "I feel like the same thing is happening with the overalls. It's like when people see each other, they give each other a little nod, like, 'I see you.'"
FOCO has reported thousands of sales of their officially licensed Phillies overalls, which have been popularized by members of the team.
FOCO, a 25-year-old company based in Somerset, New Jersey, sells licensed merchandise for nearly all major league and college sports. Besides team apparel, their products lines include items like bobbleheads and Christmas ornaments. In June, FOCO started selling the overalls.
"As a company, we thrive off of making fun products," Lewis said. "And this is the item of the moment for us."
For the Phillies, the fashion-forward playoff trend can be traced back to the team's "chief vibes officer," backup catcher Garrett Stubbs — the same player whose post-game playlist sparked the "Dancing on My Own" craze of the 2022 postseason and who proclaimed "If you don’t get it, then get the f--- out of Philly" in the team's latest hype video.
Stubbs first worked with FOCO when the company made a bobblehead to commemorate his appearance in the World Baseball Classic for Team Israel in March. After having a positive experience working with Stubbs on the bobblehead, Lewis — whose position requires her to work closely with players and influencers to promote products — figured Stubbs would be the perfect guy to spread the word about FOCO's new overalls.
So, she sent Stubbs a message on Instagram during this summer's All-Star break, asking if she could send him a pair.
"He's definitely an overalls guy," Lewis said. "I was like, 'Hey, we just launched these overalls, I'd love to send you a pair.' A month later, maybe even longer, he sent me a message back. He was like, 'Kat, these are awesome. I want to get them for the whole team. I've been wearing them in the locker room.' I was like, 'Hell yeah. Let's do this!' So we got overalls for everyone on the team."
On Aug. 31, Stubbs coordinated a team travel day in which all of his teammates wore their newly gifted pinstripe overalls.
name a more stylish team. we'll wait. pic.twitter.com/lEWTKZVMsQ
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) August 31, 2023
"They all wore them," Lewis said. "And then it kicked off."
As the outfit gathered traction online, Lewis gifted Stubbs two more pairs of Phillies overalls.
"He switched from the pinstripe to the powder blue, and then the powder blue kicked off," Lewis said. "And then, of course, we're in Red October, we have a red pair. He's like, 'It's Red October, I'm wearing the reds now.'"
Stubbs rocked the powder blues during the team post-game celebration after the the Phillies beat the Pittsburgh Pirates on Sept. 26 to clinch a playoff berth. He filled the red pair with beer bottles last Wednesday when the team partied after sweeping the Miami Marlins in the National League Wild Card round. Google searches for "Phillies overalls" spiked on each of the following days.
Party king Garrett Stubbs has returned 🤣 pic.twitter.com/0AcRw6cXmk
— NBC Sports Philadelphia (@NBCSPhilly) October 5, 2023
Since then, the overalls — frequently worn with one strap unbuttoned, in the Stubbs style — have been worn by fans at the Bank, at away games, in bars across the region, even on the subway. They sell on Foco's website for $78, and are available in men's and women's sizes.
Phillies fans historically embrace on-field trends, from the straw home run hats in 2021 to relief pitcher José Alvarado's beaded necklaces that he and teammates have donned this season.
"Philly fans are some of the best sports fans across the country," Lewis said. "They love fun products. They love supporting their team. And it's kind of been a snowball effect."
Former Phillies pitcher Jamie Moyer even rocked a pair of FOCO Phillies overalls to throw out the ceremonial first pitch prior to Game 2 of the NL Wild Card Series last week. Moyer's overalls, which garnered attention online, had pinstripes and a Phillie Phanatic design that is exclusive to the Phillies' team store. The Phanatic himself received a custom jumbo-sized pair of overalls from FOCO.
Tonight's first pitch:
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) October 5, 2023
The legend Jamie Moyer...in overalls 🔥 pic.twitter.com/axmjwjKHNE
The number of Phillies overalls that FOCO has sold so far is "in the thousands," said Lewis.
"We're trying to get more as fast as we can, and we're shipping them out as fast as we can," Lewis said. "I think the big thing is that Phillies fans did this."
According to Lewis, men's and women's overalls sales have been relatively equal, but the way that she's seen people style them has varied greatly. Some women opt for a crop top or sports bra underneath the overalls, while some men simply wear no shirt underneath. As the weather chills, she expects fans to begin layering with sweatshirts.
When baseball season comes to a end next month, Philly sports fans can continue rocking Philly gear from FOCO. The company sells Sixers and Eagles overalls in several different styles, including the coveted Kelly green.
"(Something that) is happening in the past week or two is that people are buying their cities overall," Lewis said. "So it's like the Phillies, Eagles, Sixers, add to cart... They're making sure they're covered for whatever game they're watching."
Eagles players Landon Dickerson, Jordan Mailata, Lane Johnson and Cam Jurgens, showed up to training camp in July wearing complementary FOCO overalls.
.@Landon_2012's been setting trends since 2021 😮💨#EaglesCamp | #FlyEaglesFly pic.twitter.com/Qaj8jCchxE
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) July 25, 2023
The overalls are not just a Philly thing. FOCO makes them for other NFL, MLB and NBA teams and expects to add more more teams and sports soon.
This week, the Phillies continue their National League Division Series matchup against the Atlanta Braves. Here's hoping the team will have more opportunities to don their overalls to celebrate big wins this postseason.
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