Bled FC Founder Nam Kunn’s Experimental Football Jerseys Blend Travel & Cultural Curiosities

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Nam Kunn’s inspired designs and special effects are proof that football jersey culture hasn’t peaked just yet and the graphic designer, photographer, and Bled FC founder refutes any suggestion that it has. “Honestly, I think we can still do many things. It’s all about storytelling and equipment manufacturers will always bring technical innovations,” the Vietnamese-Parisian says. “For concepts like Bled FC, our mission is to go as far as possible. We have total freedom to imagine what we want and there are no limits. As long as we have stories to tell, we will always release beautiful and creative jerseys.” 

Case in point: the limited-edition Nike x Bled FC jersey (already reworked into caps by @leo_hatcrafts) that literally shocked everyone when it dropped in June 2024 at the Nike House of Innovation Paris. Kunn’s creative football studio were invited to be part of the Jersey by You program and delivered a light teal design covered in sublimated lightning bolt graphics to represent Paris’ energy (“The city of light, like a lightning strike”) with two velcro patches and  interchangeable Bled FC and Swoosh logos. The Asian influences evident in the striking typography and campaign storytelling – go-to model Maeva Guyon is captured fishing and playing ball while wearing the jersey – are one of Kunn’s signatures.

The creative rarely does English interviews so his most notable projects, including launching his creative studio, Bled FC (football club and food club), in 2013, and their progression really speak for themselves across his websites and Instagram feed. Starting out doing art direction, illustration, layout, and photography for Shoes Up and Fricote magazines, Kunn smashed his crowdfunding goal to launch his own, Bled FC magazine, in 2015. Designing, photographing, writing, illustrating and laying out the first edition, which documented the football cultures he discovered on a Southeast Asian adventure, another print project Black Blanc Bled Gazette celebrated everyday football heroes in France. 

Crafting eye-catching football logos and jerseys is clearly Kunn’s bread and butter – either completely from scratch or to elevate sourced jerseys – and digital imagery doesn’t do them justice. Especially the beautiful optical illusion of the 2015-16 Bled FC jersey. Celebrating his identity and intentionally spotlighting Asia’s contribution to football culture through his work also exposes the lack of Asian representation in the industry. But the Vietnamese-Parisian creative has paved the way for others to follow, leading by example and bursting the Western football aesthetics bubble from the inside. On the photography front beyond his intensive travels, Kunn has shot matchday photography for his beloved PSG and Équipe de France, Bled FC campaigns, and France’s 2018 World Cup celebrations in Paris for SHUKYU magazine.

Here, for SoccerBible, Kunn breaks down his creative mission, passion for football, and the impact he feels he’s making.

Can you tell us a bit about yourself? 

Nam Kunn: “I’m Nam, a French graphic designer and photographer in the football industry with Vietnamese roots. I worked as an art director for a street culture magazine for many years before founding Bled FC in 2013. It is a creative football studio based in Paris that highlights cultural diversity throughout football. I was able to unite my passions in one job and I create projects mixing football, art, culture, and fashion.”

How did you get into football?

Nam Kunn: “In 1998 during the World Cup in France. I was 13 and it was crazy to live the victory against Brazil, a big competition favourite with incredible players, at home in the countryside. Soon after, I started to support PSG. It was not the best time to support the team but it was and still is the only big club in Paris. 

“I don’t play anymore. I had an ACL injury five years ago and I’ve tried to play again but it will never be like before. At the beginning, I missed playing football a lot but I’m used to it now and I compensate with other activities. The 2018 World Cup was one of the best times of my life. In 1998, I was young, but 20 years later, I was able to celebrate [the World Cup win] in Paris.”

Who’s your favourite football player?

Nam Kunn: “Zinedine Zidane because of the 1998 World Cup, his roulette, his haircut, his charisma, his step overs, his head butt, and his unique style. My dream is to meet Zidane one day but I probably wouldn’t know what to say to him.”

Any invaluable takeaways from your education and previous work?

Nam Kunn: “I was the only Asian guy in high school so I grew up feeling different. Today I try to keep that uniqueness in my way of thinking and creating. After my graphic design studies, I learned a lot about this industry at magazines which helped me to imagine the Bled FC concept. Working with creative people with the same passion for streetwear and sneakers was enriching. My street culture experience taught me how to be daring and transgress established codes.”

Who/what inspires you? Break down your creative process.

Nam Kunn: “My cultural heritage, different travels, street culture, movies, mangas, video games, and music. I can find inspiration watching Dragon Ball Z and Marvel movies, visiting museums, or scrolling on Instagram. The only tips I can give are: do what you like, be sincere with yourself, and be passionate.”

“I always begin by imagining a good story, a good concept that will become a good design. For example, I like the motorbike rider’s aesthetic and the big sponsors on their jerseys. I found some vintage goalie jerseys from 1990 and decided to mix both worlds to create a jersey collection named ‘Bled Riderz’, inspired by Japanese motorbike culture.”

Describe your creative signatures.

Nam Kunn: “I’m not afraid to mix different cultures or universes. My roots and passions are very important – if I wasn't passionate about football, I would have never created Bled FC. It is, above all, a personal project that reflects my identity, vision, and background.”

How do you feel you’re pushing Creative Soccer Culture forward in Paris?

Nam Kunn: “I have worked in the football industry for more than 10 years and one of my missions was to break codes and conventions. I have always wanted to mix football with art, culture, fashion, and 10 years ago, it was still very rare or unthinkable. Today, we can see that the big clubs and football brands dare more than before. Football goes to other universes and vice versa.”

What’s the biggest creative risk you’ve taken?

Nam Kunn: “Being the founder of Bled FC, with my design and photography skills, is a chance I created. It was a side project at the beginning, I started very progressively and succeeded in creating a solid community. I have the opportunity to capture the present, create the future of football, and leave my mark on the next generation. It is always cool and rewarding to create a big buzz with photography or a jersey but my first goal is to constantly create meaningful projects.”

How do you unwind?

Nam Kunn: “It’s essential for me to maintain a work/life balance and discipline in my daily life. I go to the gym three or four times a week and I travel by bike most of the time. I watch movies and documentaries even during busy times. I need to feel good in my body and mind to be efficient and creative.”

What was the last book you read?

Nam Kunn: “I mostly read mangas and started reading them again after 20 years last year. Kingdom, Berserk, and Vagabond are all masterpieces that I highly recommend.”

Which songs are in your current rotation and why?

Nam Kunn: “I have eclectic taste: I can listen to R'n'B, Rap, Country, Rock. I can’t stop listening to K-pop girl group NewJeans songs Ditto or How Sweet. The vibes are very 90s and Y2K.”

How many football shirts do you have?

Nam Kunn: “I am a big collector of jerseys, scarves, match tickets, pins, magazines, and books. I can’t count it all but I could open a shop. If my house was on fire and I could only save one thing, it would be my first football jersey – the 2000/2001 PSG shirt that my mum brought me.”

What’s next creatively? 

Nam Kunn: “I have an idea to create a football universe, a Bled-verse with many clubs and players. But I can't say more, I am only at the beginning. I would love to collaborate with professional clubs on a jersey, a clothes collection, a magazine, an illustration book, or a board game. The next step is probably to develop Bled FC more as a creative football studio. My goals will always be to go further, to imagine innovative projects, to continue to travel and explore different football cultures.” 

Name some football creatives who should be on our radar.

Nam Kunn: “I am pretty close to and have collaborated with football communities based in Asia like Nivelcrack (South Korea), Ligatoquio (Japan), SHUKYU magazine (Japan), and Ladderice (Thailand). AC Saen Saep is a football club based in Bangkok that creatively highlights the youth in their neighbourhood.”

Images courtesy of Nam Kunn