The BC Lions announced a new retro-style merch collaboration with 800K, led by a local designer from right here in Vancouver.
Seth Book has always had an eye for hidden moments in sports history. In 2024, he launched his very own creative agency to help organizations highlight and honour those special memories through creative direction. Now, he’s working with the BC Lions.
Born and raised in Vancouver, Book has followed the city’s sports teams very closely. While attending various sporting events growing up, he developed a great appreciation for the community and fandom that comes along with supporting a team. Book’s creative aspirations led him to intersect his passion for art and culture with sports and branding.
“Since I can remember, I have always had an affinity with creating something from nothing; whether that be drawing or building Lego as a little kid,” said Book.
“One element I am particularly interested in is the history of sports, including the differences in eras of play, fanbases and organizations, and of course the creative side with jerseys, logos, etc.”
After taking a variety of art classes in high school, ranging from graphic design to ceramics, Book knew he ultimately wanted to pursue a degree in fine arts. He later paired that degree with business at the University of British Columbia and developed skills in various forms of media from drawing, photography and digital art to printmaking, and even metalwork.
This led Book to launch his very own creative studio 800K, which focuses on commercial artwork and creative direction that provides authentic creativity while maintaining commercially effective execution.
Since its inception, the studio has worked with various organizations in sports such as the Victoria Royals, Prince Albert Raiders and Canucks Autism Network, as well as local businesses including Carp Sushi & Jo’s Italian Deli. Book is now set to design a collection for the BC Lions.
“I have always loved the older Lions logos, but I also find the aesthetic of vintage football in general to be quite interesting and iconic” says Book regarding the upcoming collaboration.
Wanting to showcase the longevity of the BC Lions and its many eras, Book turned to his sports card collection for a bit of inspiration.
“Within my sports fandom, I am also a devoted card collector. The serial nature of the hobby along with the varying iterations and rarity of cards really matched my interest in team history/eras thematically.”
“This led to the idea of illustrating old trading cards in my art style, which aims to bring new life to the poses along with a minimal but unique design.”
Book also draws inspiration from the 80’s and 90’s, admiring how free-flowing graphics were during that time. Going into this collaboration, he wanted to create a collection that merges his style with the Lion’s current merchandise lineup.
“When we first started discussing the 800K x Lions collaboration, one key note we wanted to hit was maintaining my style and personality in the final products.”
The new 800K limited-edition capsule collection with the BC Lions currently features a t-shirt and will soon launch a hat as well.
The collection will be featured at the BC Lion’s Campus Clash game on September 12. It’s also available on BC Lions.com, and for sale at the UBC Bookstore while supplies last.
To learn more about Seth Book and shop products featuring his art, you can visit 800K.ca. You can also keep up with his work through Instagram and TikTok at @800.thousand.