San Francisco 49ers unveil Latino Heritage Collection of team merchandise for “Los Fieles”

By Mary Lee

In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, the San Francisco 49ers unveiled their new Latino Heritage Collection. It’s a celebration of the Latino community who has been cheering the team on for generations.

Inspired by her Mexican roots, Ale Moreno is the graphic designer behind the exclusive collection of team merchandise.

“I’m first-generation Latina, so I hold a lot of pride in just being Latina in general,” Moreno said.

She wanted to honor all Latin cultures, celebrating generations of Los Fieles, the 49er Faithful. 

“We have our floating SF, but in a Latin pizzazz essentially,” explained Moreno as she described her designs.

Every detail has meaning, from the flowers, which represent over 16 Latin American countries with petals from their national flowers, to the classic SF logo, the Golden Gate Bridge and waves representing the Bay Area, with a style that’s uniquely Latino.

“All the details come from the inspiration that I saw growing up,” said Moreno. “A lot of the tazas that I would see that were hand painted or handmade, so I really wanted it to not be filled by solid color but instead by decoration in details and swirls and florals and just like personality that I think resembles the Latin community very well when it comes to our passion and our love for everything that we do.”

“The guayaberas, it’s not something you see at a football stadium ever, so to get that representation and have it for men and women is extremely special,” 49ers senior manager of partnership marketing Nick Clarke said.

Clarke, who has worked for the 49ers for nearly 12 years, said helping to create and collaborate on the collection has been a personal passion of his.

“My great-grandmother immigrated here from Mexico, so to be able to carry on that legacy, they moved to California, so to be able to represent San Francisco right in the namesake in its Spanish name to be able to carry that legacy on, it is extremely important for me,” Clarke said.

“Well, let’s just say tias and tios are going crazy on Facebook!” Moreno said. “It’s been really cool. I’ve been graciously overwhelmed with so many positive messages. With my family, especially being a proud product of immigrants, this is something that I feel like I’m living the American dream secondhand through them, because it is something that you know they always exemplified for me to never give up and to always chase your passions.”

For Moreno, designing the 49ers Latino Heritage Collection is the American dream come to life for her and her family.
With each design, she honors those who came before her while inspiring a new generation of 49ers fans – Faithful to the Bay, proud of their heritage, and inspired to chase their own dreams.

The 49ers Latinx Empowerment Advancement and Development team was started in 2020 to amplify Latino stories and recognize the beauty, power, and influence of the Latino community.

The San Francisco 49ers will take on the Minnesota Vikings in Mexico City on November 22 for Sunday Night Football.