A New Era of Culture and Creativity
The Washington Spirit has a new look – not just on the field, but at the merch stands. This season’s Cherry Blossom capsule and core collection bring new designs inspired by the club’s personality and its hometown D.C.
If you ask designer Domo Wells, the throughline is authenticity.
It’s Wells‘s priority with everything she does creatively, and her new partnership with the Washington Spirit is no different. The Spirit announced Wells as the team’s first creative director and merchandise designer to help usher in a new era of culture and creativity.
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Wells, a DMV native, is a DJ and an artist who works at the intersection of music and fashion. She launched Dead Dirt, her signature brand and creative firm, in the spring of 2023. Dead Dirt hosted a pop-up in D.C., and it caught the eye of one the WNBA’s most fashionable players, Natasha Cloud.
“[Tasha] wore Dead Dirt to one of her games, where she was photographed at the top of the Mystics season last year, and that image made waves,” Wells said. “That moment got a lot of attention for us as a new brand.”
That moment also caught the attention of the Washington Spirit. After a conversation about a potential role in the organization, Wells was all in, and she took off running with the team’s Cherry Blossom and core collections to launch the 2024 season.
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“It’s a mixture of things that feel related to anchoring the team in its hometown of Washington, D.C. That was really important to me to drive home,” she said. “We want to make sure that people feel that energy across everything, including the design.”
The Cherry Blossom capsule is rooted in Dead Dirt’s signature floral design aesthetic. The core collection is about D.C. pride. The city skyline is built into the team’s shield, bringing the feelings of home and team pride together. The design is aptly named “Ribbon in the Sky” inspired by the Stevie Wonder song.
“Everybody should know this song,” Wells said with a laugh. “This song talks about a promise for love. In this scenario, we’re kind of changing the meaning to a promise to represent D.C.”
For Wells and the team, it’s about more than cool merchandising. It’s about giving fans something to connect with and new ways to show their Spirit pride.
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Wells praised the organization’s willingness to invite a creator with a vastly different background to help map out the stylistic vision. The team’s choice to work with someone outside of the sports umbrella is another indication of its trailblazing mentality. Wells said the partnership with the Spirit is an authentic alignment with both rooted in D.C. and pushing their boundaries.
“Personally, my favorite thing to say is, ‘I’m not in a rush to do things wrong,’” Well said. “I think that the Spirit understand that, and that they’re trying to take the necessary steps to build in the factors that are going to help strengthen their position, as a team and as a brand.”
That means leaning into and representing the community.
“I think that the Spirit does a great job of trying to be grounded in what they want to represent,” she said. “I think that Michele Kang is really changing the narrative in women’s sports. What she’s building is really important and valuable, and I respect that.”
You can follow Wells on Instagram @domowells. You can find Spirit merch in-stadium or online at WashingtonSpirit.com/shop.
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