Fever's Aliyah Boston and Kelsey Mitchell React to Design Director Jas Bell

Behind every jersey, hoodie, and sneaker drop tied to the Indiana Feverand Indiana Pacers, there's a design philosophy quietly taking shape, one built on collaboration rather than top-down decision-making. At the center of that philosophy is Jas Bell, the Global Design and Product Director for both franchises, whose approach leans heavily on player input and real-world testing before anything ever reaches a fan's closet. Two of the Fever's biggest stars, Aliyah Boston and Kelsey Mitchell, recently opened up about what it's like working alongside him, and their reactions paint a picture of a partnership built on trust, creativity, and genuine appreciation.

Aliyah Boston

For Boston, a former Rookie of the Year and four-time All-Star turned one of the Fever's franchise cornerstones, the collaboration with Bell represents more than just merchandise. It's a sense of ownership over how she and her teammates are represented off the court. Asked about working with him, she didn't hold back her enthusiasm.

"Yeah, I think it's super exciting. I think we're gonna have some cool things coming, but I think it's always great to have somebody that's connected to us in that way that really wants to talk about what we want to see what we like and be able to put it put it out," Boston said.

That sense of connection is clearly something Boston values. Rather than being handed a finished product with no say in the process, she's describing a dynamic where the players actually get a voice in what ends up on shelves — and that, to her, makes all the difference.

Kelsey Mitchell

Mitchell, the Fever's veteran sharpshooter, echoed that appreciation with a slightly more personal angle, pointing directly to the impact Bell's early work had on the locker room's morale.

"He's a really great guy. I think a lot of his designs and creativity have made our Fever girls happy. A lot of the stuff that he put together at the beginning of the season was really dope, and we got a chance to meet him and see everything that he brought to the table. It's great to build relationships, but I think ultimately, it's great to also be grateful for people that do things like that. So, shout out to him," Mitchell said.

For Mitchell, the relationship isn't just transactional; it's personal. She spoke about the value of building genuine rapport with someone who takes the time to understand what the team actually wants to wear and represent, and made a point of publicly thanking Bell for the work he's put in since the start of the season.

Jas Bell on Wearing the Product Before It's Tested

In a separate conversation with Pacers on SI, Bell detailed the philosophy that has clearly resonated with Boston and Mitchell: a hands-on, feedback-driven process where the players themselves become the first line of testing.

"Yeah, man, so I think one of the dope things is that I like to wear product before I test it, or wear ideas before I test it. Even some of the stuff that we did — my initial gifts to the team, to the Fever, were this collection of items called Fever Girls. Kelsey Mitchell has worn some pieces, AB (Aliyah Boston) has worn some pieces, Raven (Johnson) has worn some, and the reaction that people had immediately let me know that they love and respect the design vein. So now I'm able to lean more into that vein and give the fans those pieces that they see the girls have on," Bell explained.

That real-time feedback loop- designing something, putting it on a player, and watching how both the team and the public respond has become a defining feature of how Fever and Pacers merchandise comes to life. Instead of guessing what will land with fans, Bell builds directly from what the athletes themselves gravitate toward.

Building Momentum Through Player Buy-In

Bell also traced part of his approach back to a lesson learned from Pharrell Williams, describing how Pharrell would wear early BBC and Bape pieces from Nigo for months at a time before they ever released to the public.

"That's one of the things I learned from P (Pharrell Williams) as well, just how he would wear a lot of those early BBC colors, a lot of that early Bape stuff from Nigo. They would wear it for three, four, five, six months straight, so people would be like, 'Man, when is it coming out?' I think that's like a cheat code, because as much as people are into the design style, a lot of times they're into the people behind it," Bell said.

That principle, he explained, is exactly why seeing Mitchell in a Fever Girl jersey meant so much to him.

"That's why I loved when Kelsey put the Fever Girl jersey on it. It let me know that the fans are not only going to buy into the design, but they're going to buy into the people who are wearing it. Being able to drop those exclusives, those one-off pieces, is a great way to build momentum and show people a sneak peek of what we'll be giving the fans," Bell said.

Taken together, the comments from Boston, Mitchell, and Bell paint a clear picture: the design process behind Fever and Pacers merchandise isn't happening in a vacuum. It's a genuine collaboration, one where players feel heard, designers get organic validation, and fans get a front-row seat to what's coming next. Long before it ever hits the shelves.