The Wind Up Collection
The debut collection is a fresh take on the 100 year legacy of negro league baseball.
From the 1920’s to the 1940’s this sub-culture of phenomenal players would challenge and defeat top MLB teams in exhibit games. The great depression couldn’t slow these champions down. Roots and Rooftops focused on the leagues traveling games called Barnstorming. Day or night these All-Star players would travel across hostile back roads of America to play the game.
Unstoppable drive.
This collection is less about the sport and more about the player’s unstoppable drive. Roots and rooftops achieved this by combining baseball DNA with a more contemporary look.
Each fabric and trim tells different parts of the story. Double needle seams for durability and air vents for ventilation. The jewel of the collection is a tailored jersey that combines a structured rip stop with a mid weight stretch jersey for comfort.
The Barnstormer Long Sleeve.
The design of The Barnstormer is based off traditional long sleeve baseball t-shirts players would wear under their team jerseys. Made from 7oz 100% Cotton, it’s a perfect layering piece to wear with our Slugger Jersey. Following the original tee, we didn’t hem the sleeves giving the cuff a natural roll.
Modernizing the old athletic contrast sleeves, we pulled the color off one sleeve and brought it to the back of the tee for color blocking. The Barnstormer graphic brings the entire collection together.
The art uses line weight to create rumbling of thunder and the radiant colors represent the flash of lightning.⚡️
Together, this style tells the story of Black Baseball’s sub culture known as Barnstorming.
The Slugger Cap
The Slugger Cap is a contemporary revision of a standard baseball cap. Made with a breathable 100% cotton Ripstop this cap will easily become a staple piece in your collection. Finished off with the ROOTSNROOFTOPS raised embroidery signature on the back.
The Slugger Jersey
What does Ripstop fabric have to do with Black baseball? Ripstop is a durable and lightweight material created for the military during WWII.
We were drawn to it as the main storyteller because the fabric had to represent the resilience and style of these players. In the 1900's, these all-stars barnstormed across the country spreading the word of black baseball. Ripstop pushes this narrative into our current environment as we face unrelenting obstacles. Never give up and always forward!
The wind up color inspiration is based off New York's unsung baseball rivalry, the Cuban Giants vs the Cuban X-Giants. New York's Cuban Giants were black baseball's barnstorming kings in the 1800's. But in 1896, New York's Cuban X-Giants was formed to challenge that title. The strange name was not only created to capitalize on the Cuban Giants fame, but the x-giants lured "Ex-cuban giants" players to the new franchise. This included the legendary sol white who played with the challengers from 1896 to 1899. In 1897, the two Cuban Giants teams faced off in a three-game series. The Cuban X-Giants won two out of three games to capture the colored championship of the east. Roots N Rooftops brand colors, navy and cream melded perfectly with this story. With respect, the brand used the team colors to create a beautiful and powerful palette.