We’ve seen Monica Ahanonu’s work with a number of brands so when we had a chance to talk about her latest work and partnership with Johnnie Walker, we wanted to find out more about this leading artist in the digital space. Ahead of the highly anticipated Women’s World Cup, Johnnie Walker is fueling the fandom and increasing visibility for women’s sports alongside powerhouse NWSL teams and partners Angel City FC and NJ/NY Gotham FC this summer. She created a design that will be worn by both teams to strive for gender equality at their upcoming match on July 2nd at Red Bull Arena. This partnership represents a one-team approach towards achieving gender equality, her illustration depicts how “we lift each other up as we rise and break through barriers.” In creating this merch line that will be available for Angel City FC (their crewneck) as well as Gotham FC (tops) will be available as long as supplies last. A donation from the team’s merch proceeds will be going towards the Women's Sports Foundation. We wanted to find out more about this partnership as well as what she has going on.
ATHLEISURE MAG: For our readers who may not know about you, please tell us a bit about your background and what you do?
MONICA AHANONU: I’m an illustrator, creator and model based in Los Angeles. I’m obsessed with playing with color in any form. I started my career at DreamWorks Animation working on some of their feature films and am currently IMG Models’ first signed illustrator. My client roster spans brands in media & entertainment, fashion, beauty, consumer products, and publishing. Some recent clients include Vanity Fair, PepsiCo, Apple, Google, Facebook, Netflix, NASA, Adobe, Sephora, Simon & Schuster, and Ruggable.
AM: What is it about being an illustrator and a creator that you enjoy?
MA: For my digital art, I love playing with color and being able to quickly change the colors of a piece to mix and match patterns or try and make two colors match that wouldn't normally go together. As a creator it’s great that every day of my week is typically different. I don’t do well with monotony so having a wide range of assignments and projects to work on allows a lot of variety in my days.
AM: You're known for spotlighting diverse cultures and including themes of inclusivity and equality in your artwork. Why is this important to you?
MA: It’s important to me that younger generations and people in general who may not feel confident in themselves realize that just because you don’t look like those around you doesn’t mean you aren't beautiful. I find that the world is more exciting when people are being authentically themselves and expressing their individuality as they go about their day however that may be.
AM: Where do you go for inspiration when you're creating your next piece?
MA: Most often I’ll look at fashion to get inspiration. I’ll sit outside and people watch, go to a vintage store, and look through clothes or I’ll look through recent collections online. I love seeing the silhouettes and unique fabrics that are being used to create the newest handbags or pairs of shoes - things that you wouldn’t normally see utilized and then analyzing how it lays on the body and moves as someone walks.
If not fashion, I will often watch old cartoons or take a nap because I have really vivid dreams. I can typically tell myself that there’s something I want to have a dream about and then I can lay down that topic or object will naturally get incorporated into an odd dream that gives me some type of inspiration or direction - mainly if I’m stuck on something or haven't been able to find inspiration by sifting through the internet.
AM: You have collaborated with Johnnie Walker in the past. What is it about this brand that you enjoy working with and what was it like to partner with them on this project specifically?
MA: I first partnered with Johnnie Walker to design signs of empowerment and progress for participants during the 2019 Women’s March in Washington, D.C. These along with other signs carried during the march were then featured in an exhibit curated in partnership with the New York Historical Society – Center for Women's History to commemorate the messages of optimism and unity represented through march signage as well as the spirit of collective progress moving our country forward.
When the Johnnie Walker team reached out to collaborate on this initiative in celebration of their partnerships with Gotham FC and Angel City FC, two powerhouse women's soccer teams, and all women in sports who are breaking barriers on and off the field, I was eager to come on board. It’s amazing to work with brands like Johnnie Walker which have steadfast commitments to gender equality and actively work to uplift underrepresented communities.
AM: This project is interesting as it's focused on increasing the fandom for women's soccer. How is the brand doing this with NWSL teams and their partners Angel City FC and NY/NY Gotham FC this summer?
MA: As women’s soccer takes the ultimate stage this summer, it’s prime time to highlight the significant gender gaps in sports and provoke equal visibility for women athletes, teams and leagues all year long. In collaboration with Johnnie Walker, Gotham FC and Angel City FC, we created a unified design which the players from both teams will wear during warm-ups on the July 2 match at the Red Bull Arena to underscore the one team approach to achieving equality.
The designs are available as limited-edition tops for fans to purchase in the teams’ respective colorways by visiting the Angel City FC and Gotham FC online shops. Not only is this a way for the fans to sport their support and join our mission, but a portion of the proceeds will also be donated to the Women's Sports Foundation to support their ongoing research to help inform the change in culture needed for equality and their mission to enable women to reach their potential in sports.
AM: How did you go about designing the merch for ACFC and Gotham FC for this game that will take place on July 2nd at Red Bull Arena?
MA: In this design, I chose to focus specifically on the hands of the players we are representing. Hands can convey a wide range of emotions, and I wanted to capture the feelings of celebration, camaraderie, teamwork, strength, and unity in a single glance. The lines surrounding the hands represent the dynamic exchange of emotions and energy between a crowd of people experiencing the same event. By depicting hands grasping one another, I sought to illustrate how we lift each other up as we rise and break through barriers. As a team, we often celebrate not only our personal victories but also the triumphs of our teammates and the collective success of our group.
AM: This collaboration is part of First Strides which is a larger initiative. Can you tell us about this and what we can expect for this?
MA: I’ve always admired Johnnie Walker for being a brand that stands for collective progress and its First Strides initiative turns this commitment into action by supporting the people and organizations who are doing the work to push culture forward for underrepresented communities. By celebrating, inspiring and enabling bold strides taken for progress, Johnnie Walker seeks to create more boundary breaking, first time achievement through grants, visibility, mentorship and empowerment.
Our partnership is just the beginning of a summer-long initiative to increase visibility for women’s sport, so stay tuned for more from Johnnie Walker to be part of a community that values and uplifts women athletes.
AM: You're always working on a number of projects. In addition to being the Co-Founder/Creative + Style Dir of Athleisure Mag, I am also a stylist and I loved your Lagos partnership which had stunning imagery and I believe you were at an event with them that I was also at as the team was talking about you while I was there. What are you working on now and what projects do you have coming up that we should keep an eye out for?
MA: Currently, I’m working on some exciting Web3 projects, a fashion campaign that comes out in the fall, as well as a broadcast commercial that will run during later this summer!
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