Merch Makeover
In 2024, Kate Weinberg went down a rabbit hole – an Olympic merchandise rabbit hole – which drew the attention of 2.3 million people and transformed her career almost overnight. We get the inside scoop on why she thinks sports merchandise is still woefully in need of a spruce up.
By Ellë Bolland
We all get obsessed with things, but for Bay Area graphic designer Kate Weinberg, a deep dive into Olympic merchandise in May 2024 turned into something much bigger. That fascination didn’t just fuel her curiosity – it put her work in front of the world’s biggest brands. How did she manage to capture their attention?
An alpine ski racer herself, Kate followed Olympic sports religiously, but as a fan, she found the offering of merchandise to be underwhelming. “It all began when I noticed the merchandise in ski resorts wasn’t very unique to each mountain. As a kid, I used to get excited about going on trips and getting some of the merchandise, but as I got older I noticed the offering in ski resorts really wasn’t great – everything just used a stock image of a skier against a random mountain!”. Kate tells me how she longed for posters and merchandise that could capture the sports real essence, and when she shared this thought on her Instagram, she never expected it to resonate so deeply with other sports fans around the world. I’m curious to find out how Kate went from skiing in her spare time throughout college, to becoming the designer every athlete and sports brand wants to work with.
Growing up, art became Kate’s sanctuary alongside being in the outdoors – it was her escape from the pressures of daily life. It wasn’t until college where she then discovered her love for design, and began to visualise the two worlds colliding. “Because I was so into skiing, a lot of my art at the beginning was very much inspired by nature and about being in the outdoors”. However, with peers and mentors often advising her to settle for a job she would dislike because there aren’t enough creative jobs out there, Kate suppressed her calling and briefly tried going corporate. “Honestly? I’ve never really known what I wanted to do – but equally, no-one is surprised this is what I’ve ended up doing now. Now that I think of it, I was always making things like ski season edits of my team for YouTube in high school – so I guess you could say there’s a link!”.
As Kate navigated uncertainty in the early stages of her career, she turned to social media both as a creative outlet and a way to hold herself accountable in her pursuit of a design career. What began as a simple platform to showcase her work soon grew into something much larger. Kate’s early designs were inspired by her trips to various ski resorts and her favourite alpine brands, helping her amass 50,000 followers within the first six months. By May 2024, just six months later, that number doubled to 100,000 – right before Paris 2024. It was at this point that Kate experienced her breakthrough.
Much like ski resort merchandise, Olympic designs didn’t bring the spirit, nor the energy of the Olympic events to life. Sure we had the five interlaced rings on t-shirts and sweatshirts, but where were the athletes somersaulting, swimmers racing through the water, or even fencers lunging with their epee to attack their opponent? Where was the personality for each of the sports? Sure enough, Kate set out to change that with her Olympic series. She started with swimming, using the lines of an Olympic pool to create an abstract design (here). By day two, she’d gone viral with her fencing design video, gaining 1.8 millions views in less than 24 hours. A sport not known for its popularity amongst the general population, Kate’s fencing video sparked an outpouring of messages from fans – coaches, parents, athletes – all sharing how the designs spoke to them personally. By July, her profile had risen to 200k.
resonates
Olympic athletes began commenting on her videos, pleading for Kate to design merch for their sport. The Swiss Olympic rower, Célia Dupré, commented, “Rowing, please!”, and that Kate did, nodding to the sports historic legacy with a retro design. Célia even replied with, “You slayed this! I’ve been following for a while and can’t wait to continue to see how you grow!!”. Next up was climbing, followed by archery, kayaking, equestrian, BMX, wrestling, sailing, track & field, et all.
“I feel like that’s the exciting part and payoff – how much it resonates with the Olympians,” Kate says, sharing the reward of building out the series. It wasn’t driven by the external motive of growing her profile, but rather to stay motivated with her work. It was a bonus that it drew the attention of major brands. But what comes up must come down at some point.
After the response to her Olympic sports series, Kate found herself navigating the whirlwind of attention that came with it. “It got a little overwhelming with how popular it was getting,” she admits. As the comments and requests flooded in, she questioned whether this was the path she truly wanted to be known for. “Social media can really snowball, and it felt as if the ball was just getting bigger and bigger! So after pumping them out throughout the Summer I decided to take a breather from my Olympic designs”. Kate decided to switch things up and delved into F1. Within just a matter of days, she was then on a 19 hour flight from San Francisco to Abu Dhabi, being whisked over by luxury brand Away. “It just goes to show how you never know what will happen unless you go for it. Thank you to everyone who has supported me during this journey…here’s to so much more!” she shared with her followers. It was a journey of self-discovery, one that allowed her to embrace her passion for sports while exploring other types of design.
From the slopes to the pitlanes – how does one adjust themselves to understand a totally different world? “I think being an outsider of the sport you don’t have any bias. You have this curiosity to understand certain elements of the sport,” Kate tells me. The project became an opportunity to incorporate new ideas and challenges into her designs, marking her ever-evolving approach to sports-inspired art. “I approach projects a bit like Pinterest boarding. There was a lot about a live F1 race that I had never experienced before!”. Kate tells me she’d head to the racetrack to really soak up the atmosphere, whether it was catching clips of the practice laps and driver camaraderie during races, working in the pitlanes or heading to the club lounge and speaking to people to get a feel for the sport. “I use all this information, whether it’s storing the conversations in my head or videos of the action, to use when I get home and start on the designs”.
Looking ahead, Kate is shifting from the experimental phase of her career to a more intentional focus on what she wants to be known for. “I definitely want to be known for my designs,” she says, reflecting on how her journey has evolved from social media. Her future goals include creating something uniquely her own, separate from any brand affiliations, and continuing to refine her storytelling of how she creates her work. She’s excited to turn her own experiences into designs that not only showcase her creativity but also invite others to explore her process and the journey that shapes her work. Kate envisions a future where her designs represent not only her aesthetic but also reveal deeper, personal layers of her creative process. As for her dream client, Kate is drawn to the idea of collaborating with major sporting events, where her art can be integrated into the fabric of iconic occasions like Wimbledon, the Tour de France, or even the Super Bowl. She’s eager to see her designs become interactive elements that enhance the energy and experience of such celebrated events, bringing her audience along for the ride and allowing them to learn about the experiences and inspirations that drive her work.
Sports merchandise isn’t just for match days anymore – it’s become a lifestyle. Jerseys, trainers, and even high-end designer collaborations have become more than just symbols of team support; they’re statements of identity. Even those who aren’t traditionally sports fans are getting involved, with more people than ever wearing football shirts from clubs they may never have heard of, as seen in the Summer of 2024 (read our Glorious Sport story here). Kate’s meteoric rise to viral success shows that merchandise has evolved beyond simple clothing or collectibles. It’s now about enhancing the fan experience and tapping into the emotions that make sport so universally captivating. Kate’s journey is proof that great design has the power to redefine how we connect with the world of sport and the stories behind it.
Keep up with Kate and her work via her website and on social
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