She’s TheFIRM
Three words. Ten letters.
That’s all it takes, and mentally I’m back trying to find comfort on a plaid couch between two of my teammates as No Sleep Tonight by The Faders plays somewhere in the background of 20+ high school girls belting out the lyrics.
Between the ages of 14 and 18, I probably clocked as many hours studying as I did watching Amanda Bynes fall in love with Channing Tatum while cosplaying as her twin brother. It was our team’s pregame ritual. We’d find someone’s house to meet at for a carbo load, then digest our pizza and pasta to She’s The Man.
In that time, I also collected three state championship rings with at least one undefeated season. And I’m not saying it has anything to do with knowing the exact comedic timing of Bynes admitting her on-screen love to Tatum while still dressed as her brother, but I’m also not not saying that.
So, for a movie that defined most of my formative years, it came as a no-brainer to take some of that female-forward messaging into the creation of TheFIRM x The Matcha Bar Jersey during the World Cup takeover in Kansas City.
DESIGNED FOR OUR NUMBER ONE ASSET ON THE TEAM. YOU.
When the first sample of the jersey came in, I wore it for three days straight. It was with me in the 8th row to see Obsession, on the rooftop to teach pilates, and even made a brief poolside appearance as a cover-up paired with white linen pants.
I was obsessed. Especially since it had been months since my first meeting with the design team: aka, the GOAT of design, Alexa Sheldon. We met for happy hour at Varsity Club and, over the course of two old-fashioneds and our open laptops, came up with the initial checklist for TheFIRM jersey:
Like any Premier League or national team, TheFIRM Football Club needed its own crest.
We needed a sponsor - something female-founded and more iconic than a checkmark.
And we needed a name and number on the back.
And thankfully, by the time we closed our tab (thank you, Daddy Fim), we checked two things off the list.
The number 26 would represent summer 2026 when Kansas City hosted the World Cup. And the color palette? Inspired by TheFIRM Smoothie profile: navy blue to tie in the blue spirulina and butter yellow to tie in tropical pineapple.
THE MATCHA BAR. A NO BRAINER.
The Matcha Bar at Dear Society was already the unofficial fuel of TheFIRM, so making the collab official and having them join as TheFIRM’s jersey sponsor just made sense.
Four years from now, when I take this jersey out of my closet to celebrate the next World Cup, I already know I’ll see The Matcha Bar logo across the chest and be instantly reminded of the taste of an iced oat salted honey matcha. My go-to order if anyone is wondering.
And if you’re reading this thinking “I don’t like matcha” or “it tastes like grass,” then you haven’t been to The Matcha Bar inside Dear Society.
She's TheFIRM
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She's The CEO
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She's The Mother
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She's The Founder
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She's TheFIRM ⚽️ She's The CEO ⚽️ She's The Mother ⚽️ She's The Founder ⚽️
TheFIRM x The Matcha Bar Jersey is the first uniform designed for women who have their own goals. Not the men who think they can gatekeep team colors because they can name more than three players on the team.
It’s made for you to wear confidence front row in your favorite workout class.
To take on your next vacation.
To pair with a blazer during your next boardroom pitch.
To grab a matcha in.
To your next networkout.
To run errands in.
To recognize the other partners on the street who represent TheFIRM.
However you wear it, know that you’re representing a team of women who create big goals and see them through.
Welcome to the team.
Pick up your uniform here.
by Melanie Sanchez at Dear Society
A massive thank you to the women who made bringing this jersey to life possible - in every aspect. Not only have you, as partners at TheFIRM, made me want to continue to show up for this team, but also to Alexa Sheldon for seeing the vision and designing it exactly how I pictured it (okay, probably 100x better). Thank you to Melanie Sanchez for being the photographer who pushes me out of my comfort zone, tells me when I look stiff and knows what I mean when I string together random words like ‘vintage-editorial-but-like-not-pink.’ And to Chanel and the team at Dear Society, who saw what I was trying to create and backed me to the point of my dream collaboration.
Support local.
Support the women in your circle.
Support the growth of Kansas City. Because if there’s one thing we’re going to see at the conclusion of this tournament, it’s the excitement about our best-kept secret of a city from tourists and travelers who are experiencing it for the first time.