By Jason Cruz
NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY
For the first time, both the Seattle Sounders and Seattle Reign FC are honoring Filipino Heritage Month with special events at evening games.
The Sounders celebrated their night on Saturday, Oct. 18, while the Reign will hold its event on Sunday, Nov. 1. A portion of the proceeds from each games’ ticket sales will go to the Filipino Community of Seattle.
Both nights include Filipino-inspired scarves made by local Filipino American artist Shayla Hufana, who operates her own graphic design firm, Concept Shell, LLC. Hufana had previously made scarves for Sounders season ticket members.
Shayla Hufana walks onto the field on Oct. 18 wearing one of the scarves she designed, and a piña modern barong with puff sleeves by Dovi Seattle, a Filipina fashion designer. Courtesy of Shayla Hufana. Photo by Bryant Garduque.
“It was a while back (March 2026) that we actually first [started] discussing [the scarves] and then I finished the final artwork at the end of April,” Hufana said, adding that she sought input from Sounders staff prior to finalizing the design for the scarves.
But the Sounders gave her creative freedom for the design.
“They gave me a short brief of a concept, but I was open to play around with it being that it was the very first Filipino celebration with both teams,” she said.
The scarves are double branded with a Sounders design on one side and a Reign design on the other. If the scarves are laid out next to each other, the Sounders and Reign design combine.
“I teared up because it was so surreal … being the first Filipino artist for the first Filipino night,” Hufana said of the first night handing out scarves at the Sounders game. “I definitely felt a lot of pressure.”
Shayla with parents (left), Filipino Community of Seattle, and Filipinotown Magazine on Oct. 18. Hufana wears a piña modern barong with puff sleeves by Dovi Seattle, a Filipina fashion designer. Courtesy of Shayla Hufana. Photo by Bryant Garduque.
Hufana sat at the scarf pickup inside Lumen Field during the Sounders event to hand out scarves. People seemed to enjoy the design, as the extras on sale at the Sounders store in Lumen Field sold out. Fans even approached Hufana to ask her to sign their scarves.
Growing up, Hufana never thought about graphic design as a job possibility. She loved to draw and play around with it, designing her own houses and architecture in high school. But she almost went to the University of Washington Business School: “I thought I wanted to be the person making the pitches, not the one making designs.”
But business school didn’t feel right for her. Instead, she got a graphic design internship and went to the Art Institute of Seattle. “I fell in love with it,” she said.
She went on to work for Boeing in the print shop. She also worked for multiple agencies on various projects, as well as doing contract work. She has worked on projects for Nordstrom and several sports teams, including the San Francisco Giants, the 49ers, and the Seattle Mariners.
The Sounders and Reign scarf designs have vivid depictions of Filipino culture and beliefs. Hufana said she decided to focus on nature, because “sometimes we take things for granted, like fresh air and the simple life.”
The scarf includes the Queen of Philippine orchid (waling-waling), a rare iconic species, as well as the mythical peacock, symbolizing good fortune and power. There is also a depiction of a carabao—water buffalo—symbolizing hard work and perseverance.
Hufana also included a tattoo motif with several elements of Filipino culture, such as snake tongues, which represent good fortune and strength. Ancestor figures hold hands, symbolizing strong bonds to chosen people in life. Rice and crops represent abundance and family.
Shayla Hufana, fourth from right, raises a scarf with the Filipino Community of Seattle during a “Scarves Up!” call on Oct. 18, 2026. Hufana wears a piña modern barong with puff sleeves by Dovi Seattle, a Filipina fashion designer. Courtesy of Shayla Hufana. Photo by Bryant Garduque.
Designs of escrima sticks also grace the scarves. These sticks are used in Filipino martial arts, and represent strength and a mastery of craft. Hufana also worked in several meaningful fish designs, including the pompano fish representing abundance and wealth, and the Lapu-Lapu Fish, or grouper, to represent cultural strength and prosperity. The Lapu-Lapu fish is named after Lapu-Lapu, the famous Filipino historical figure who defeated Ferdinand Magellan at the Battle of Mactan in 1521. Three stars also adorn the scarves, and represent the three main geographical areas of the Philippines: Luzon, the Visayas, and Mindanao.
The Oct. 18 Sounders game against CF Montreal at Lumen Field also included pre-match cultural dances, Filipino food trucks, a small business marketplace, and scarves.
In addition to design work for major names, Hufana also shares her own artwork. She will be the first featured artist at the Filipino-fusion café, Neighborhood Café, in Tukwila starting in November.
Jason can be reached at newstips@nwasianweekly.com.
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