Artist Kathryn Robertson lands 'dream job' as new clothing artwork captures iconic scenes from Sunderland 'Til I Die
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Sunderland artist and Black Cats fan, Kathryn Robertson, said she was "honoured" to be asked to capture iconic images of the city, football club and its supporters on a new range of clothing created to celebrate the release of the third series of Sunderland 'Til I Die.
The most recent edition of the much loved fly on the wall documentary premiered last week at the Fire Station and this time it had a happy ending for SAFC fans as the club won at Wembley to secure a return to the Championship after a painful four year absence.
After being involved in the artwork behind the club's 2022 season ticket campaign and then a subsequent mural at the Academy of Light, Kathryn said it was her "dream job" to create the artwork emblazoned across the new hoodies and T-shirts.
She added: "I'm just grateful the club has looked towards a local artist to be involved in something like this. I was so honoured to be asked and it's amazing to have a partner like SAFC and fantastic to see the merchandise with the words 'in association with Kathryn Robertson'.
"A lot of my work over the years has been inspired by Sunderland and the intricacies of the city. Each design feels like a bit of a continuation of the last.
"I just hope as a fan that I represent Sunderland positively".
The show once again captures the emotional rollercoaster of life as a Black Cats fan and the pride supporters have in their city, club and heritage - something Kathryn was keen to capture in her artwork.
Since Fulwell 73 released the first series in 2018, the documentary has attracted a global audience and Kathryn, who also hails from the city, wanted to capture the essence of what has captivated people about the city and club.
She said: "Talking with Gabe Turner and Leo Pearlman from Fulwell 73 we were so keen on getting the intro sequence into the image as it's so iconic to the show.
"People from all over the world will watch the show, not just in Sunderland, and we wanted that connection to the title sequence to be there.
"The image of the Stadium of Light itself, the iconic Frank Styles mural in Hendon of Raich Carter, some of the beautiful lyrics from ‘Shipyards’ by The Lake Poets, the Colliery Tavern where people often stop for a pre match pint, and the Wearmouth Bridge - they're all there in the design.
"So many people that I know have watched and are fans of the show so it’s really cool to have a connection to it all. "Hopefully the design is a celebration of Sunderland and a good representation of the city."
Kathryn explained the designs started as a series of sketches which she "kept returning" to in order to ensure it encapsulated the show and "meant something to the fans of SAFC and fans of the show alike." But having been so heavily involved in the design of the documentary's clothing range, what did Kathryn think of the show itself?
She said: "I follow both the men's and women's teams and I binged the new series a couple of days after it came out.
"It was beautifully made and encapsulates the turbulent highs and lows of being a fan. It gave a great insight into the players experience and it’s really interesting to get that behind the scenes.
"As a whole it shows how much football really means to people in this part of the world."
One of the players to feature prominently in the new series was captain Luke ONien who joined Kathryn to model and promote the new merchandise. Kathryn said: "It was really great to meet Luke. He was really complimentary about the mural in the Academy of Light too, which is nice to hear as I hadn’t been back since I finished painting it.
"It was good to hear what people thought of the piece and especially nice to hear that the players and lovely staff at the AOL like it."
The clothing range features adults t-shirts costing £22, long-sleeved t-shirts retailing at £28, depending on colour, and hoodies for £50.
Kathryn said: "I love the hoodies and I’m hoping people wear them to the match." Visit the club's online store to discover the full clothing range at safcstore.com