Also Known As™

Steve Dunstan once wrote Auckland a love letter. It was an open letter to the city that was honest about everything we love about it and everything that drives us mad. It also made a case for how much potential the place has, if we stop apologising for its flaws and start celebrating them. Also Known As™ is our answer to that letter.

Auckland FC gave the city a team to get behind. The task was to build a direct-to-consumer streetwear brand born out of the club, but not bound by it. It needed to step outside the world of football and connect with the subcultures that shape Auckland: the music, the style, the neighbourhoods and the people.

Streetwear has always been about identity. People don’t just buy what they wear; they use it to say who they are, where they come from and what they represent. Look at the Yankees cap. Most people wearing one have never watched a baseball game. It stopped being about the team long ago and became a badge for New York itself, worn by people who feel connected to the city whether they live there or not. We wanted Auckland to have the same thing: something young Aucklanders would proudly wear because they see themselves in it, not because it’s merch.

The identity starts with the club’s own badge. We isolated the A and let it stand on its own as an icon for the city. It’s a simple mark that works on a tee or a cap and carries the club’s DNA without needing the full crest. It’s a quiet signal for anyone who knows, and a statement of pride for anyone who wears it.

From there, we designed a range of Auckland-centric prints that celebrate the 09 in all its quirks and flaws. None of it is a postcard version of the city. These are the things only Aucklanders get, and the things they complain about and love in the same breath.

Around the mark and the prints, we built a toolkit for developing more considered products. Pip labels, back neck labels and carry bags all carry the brand through to the details, so every piece feels made with the same care as the streetwear labels it sits alongside.

Then it was time to go to market. We built a social strategy and content designed to cut through and earn credibility with an audience that can spot inauthenticity a mile off. Rather than leading with the club, we partnered with Auckland-centric figures to cross-promote the brand, letting the people who already represent the city carry it into their own communities.

The initial range sold out. Also Known As™ now belongs to Auckland as much as to the club behind it, and it’s built to keep growing with every drop.