Umbro Black Leopards

In a land where it’s not so out of the ordinary for businesses to close up shop at 2 in the afternoon so that everyone can make it home in time to see their country’s team play the World Cup, international soccer brand Umbro is putting a spotlight in Brazil on a special collection of sports knits called Black Leopards developed specifically to benefit a social cause aimed at stylish soccer fans and in turn, they hope, beyond. The namesake of the line refers to the famous soccer club in South Africa located in the poor Limpopo area, a region with 25% of its population infected with HIV, according to Umbro’s press material. Proceeds from the sales of the smart-looking track jackets, sweat wrist bands and more (girls’ goodies include a hoodie) go to non-profits in Limpopo. Pity for us though, the line is available only at one store in Porto Alegre, one of Brazil’s largest cities, in a true-to-every-letter exclusive. The limited-edition angle to this is strategic: Umbro’s marketing department picked Porto Alegre, with its wealthier, European-descendent population and supremely fashion-conscious nature (supermodel Gisele Bundchen came from there), to build the bandwagon for others to jump on.