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Interviews with the designers behind the New Mexico United kits. From stadiums to streets, the jerseys tell stories of unity, boldness, and New Mexican pride.
Designer Nico Salazar’s New Mexico United Meow Wolf kit. Photo credit: Josh Lane @joshlaneco
When Meow Wolf and New Mexico United first collided, it didn’t make sense on paper. An immersive art company teaming up with a pro soccer club? But in New Mexico, where creativity and community go hand in hand, this unlikely alliance became a movement.
Eight years ago, Meow Wolf was beginning its expansion beyond Santa Fe and New Mexico United was just a dream on a whiteboard. Fate – or something stranger – put both visions in the same tiny office space, where both founders brainstormed side by side. What started as a conversation between two dreamers became a statewide phenomenon that fused art, sport, and identity into a single, powerful force.
Today, Meow Wolf is the proud lifetime sponsor of New Mexico United, currently third ranked in the USL—and we’re still designing kits that hit as hard as our installations. From stadiums to streets, the jerseys tell stories of unity, boldness, and New Mexican pride.
This is the story of how imagination and ambition came together to change the game – literally.
In 2017, Meow Wolf was growing in the southwest, beyond Santa Fe and New Mexico United was an idea taking shape. By pure serendipity, Vince Kadlubek, Meow Wolf’s co-founder and then-CEO, ended up sharing a 750-square-foot office on Lena Street with NM United owner Peter Trevisani. On one side of the whiteboard was a sketched soccer strategy; the other mapped out Meow Wolf’s leap into cities like Denver and Las Vegas.
When Vince found himself deep in high-stakes negotiations for Omega Mart at AREA15, it was Peter’s mentorship that helped seal the deal. That trust and shared vision laid the foundation for what came next: Pete asking Vince to make Meow Wolf the inaugural sponsor of NM United. The answer was yes.
It was more than a logo on a jersey – it was a partnership rooted in creativity, risk, and belief in what two New Mexico-based organizations could become.
From the moment the first New Mexico United jersey hit the field in 2019, it was clear this wasn’t just another kit – it was a statement. Designed by Meow Wolf artists, the inaugural uniform broke every mold: bold colors, unexpected patterns, and a creative vision that screamed New Mexico pride. It wasn’t just worn – it was felt.
The response was electric. Fans lined up to grab one. Photos of the kit traveled the world. Suddenly, a USL team from Albuquerque was being talked about alongside major league clubs, not just for how they played, but for how they looked.
That jersey set the tone for what would become a beloved tradition: every year, a new kit designed by Meow Wolf artists blending immersive art with soccer culture – pushing both into new territory.
We asked the five designers who’ve taken on the challenge of creating NM United’s official jersey over the last five years and what it meant to them. Here's what they had to say:
Nicole Guerra’s design came from studying flow—how shapes move, how fabric shifts, and how something static on paper can become kinetic on a player’s body. “It was exciting to take my 2D design work into a new dimension,” she said. The result was a kit full of movement and wavy, portal-like energy.
One of Guerra’s most meaningful moments came after the official launch, when she saw someone wearing the jersey in the wild on a regular day. “It was like a little nod from the universe,” she said. For Guerra, the collaboration proved that lines between sports and art are more blurred than we think: “You can find magic where you least expect it.”
For Caleb Ortega, designing the 2022 kit was about capturing movement, mysticism, and the fluid, ever-shifting energy that defines both soccer and Meow Wolf. Inspired by the idea of portals, he created a shimmering, holographic design that became known as The Portals Jersey. It was a nod to other dimensions as well as the deeper emotional dimensions of fandom itself.
Ortega’s favorite moment? A fan at the grocery store wearing his kit without knowing he was the designer, and calling it “the best kit they’ve ever made.” “It was a true core memory,” said Ortega. Originally from Texas, Ortega now calls New Mexico home and says designing the jersey was a bucket-list project. “It created a shared moment in time – something that connects people, instantly.”
Known for his electric character design, Nico Salazar took the concept of a “team” to another level by creating an entire lineup of mascots rooted in New Mexican identity. From the Hatch green chile forward, to Parry the jackalope goalie, every character on the kit celebrated a piece of local culture with flair and humor. “It’s a visual shoutout to home,” said Salazar.
The emotional highlight came when he handed off the game ball on opening night, with his father streaming the moment on ESPN. “It was wild in the best way,” he said of seeing the jersey worn across the city. For Salazar, the project was more than personal – it was powerful. “It felt like New Mexico was front and center.”
Dason Culver’s kit design brought a playful chaos to the pitch – what he calls a mix of Meow Wolf’s signature “worms” with his own lifelong drawing style, affectionately dubbed “Doodle Noodles.” The result: a tangle of colorful, floating forms known as Woggles, suspended in a cosmic swirl. The design felt both strange and familiar, like a memory from childhood scribbled into the stars.
For Culver, seeing fans wear his art was both surreal and deeply rewarding. “It was amazing seeing strangers in the world proudly wearing your work,” he said. One favorite moment? When M’tucci’s restaurant served a neon-colored pasta dish inspired by the jersey at a launch event – “a real 'made it' moment,” as he put it. To him, the partnership between Meow Wolf and NM United reflects what makes this place so special: local pride expressed through bold creativity.
Diana Potakh Casey’s upcoming 2025 kit is actually two kits: Ebbs and Flows are both designed to reflect our shifting moods and energy. One pushes bold design boundaries; the other takes a calmer, more contemplative approach. “Our feelings ebb and flow,” she said, “and it was fun to explore both concepts visually.”
While the kits won’t be released until September, Casey is already feeling the magic of the partnership. As an artist and New Mexican, she sees the collaboration as a uniquely local celebration. “It’s so special to have two origin stories from New Mexico — Meow Wolf and NM United—come together to create something meaningful for the players and fans.”
The collaboration between Meow Wolf and New Mexico United is more than an annual kit drop — it’s a celebration of culture, color, community, and the imagination that powers our state. From character-packed patterns to cosmic worm galaxies, every kit is a wearable story stitched together by local artists and worn by proud fans across the field, stands, and streets.
And the story’s still unfolding.
Join us for the next Meow Wolf Night on Friday, September 13 at Isotopes Park. Before the match, swing by the free tailgate party featuring food trucks, a live DJ, and a costume contest for all ages. Come dressed to impress — the first-place adult costume winner will earn a ride on Meow Wolf’s Skyworm hot air balloon at this year’s Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta.
This night is for New Mexico. For the fans, the artists, the dreamers, and the believers. Somos Unidos — on the field, in the crowd, and across the cosmos.
