By Vivek Julka
“For us retro football shirts are a time capsule to the past.” That is how David Jones, co-founder of Cult Kits explained the meaning of retro shirts to fans.
As a football fan and considering his business, it is not surprising to hear that David was a collector of retro kits before Cult Kits was founded in Swindon.
“I am a collector of retro shirts, I don’t buy ones from specific eras but whatever ones I like. It can range from FC Barcelona to international teams like Mexico.” David’s inspiration to cofound Cult Kits, was simply down to his passion. “A love of football shirts, football terrace fashion and culture inspired me to co-found Cult Kits,” says David, 40.
Nostalgia is one of the key reasons why these types of shirts have become so popular in recent years. Wearing a retro shirt is a connection between that fan, their memories of their team and the history of the club.
A shirt’s reputation and value is enhanced if it represents an iconic moment or a team’s success. For example, the 1988 Holland shirt is one of the most popular and highly sold retro jerseys of all time. Even though it is a beautifully designed kit, it has become iconic due to Holland winning the Euros in this kit with many world class players such as Ruud Gullit and Marco van Basten. To put into perspective how valuable retro football shirts are, Argentina legend Diego Maradona’s ‘Hand of God’ shirt sold for more than £7 million.
“When you look at an old shirt, you are just reminded of your past glories or failures which take you back to a different time. People are nostalgic and their love of football attaches them to jerseys which represent the time period where their fandom was at its peak,” says David.
One reason that retro football shirts have risen in popularity is that it is seen as a fashion statement due to various celebrities donning some iconic shirts. David talked about the fashion aspect of retro shirts. “It’s hard to say why these shirts have become so popular. Obviously, fashions operate on 30-year cycles, but with sport fashions I think it’s down to lifestyle culture, and those that influence that. People, particularly younger audiences are inquisitive about older things, past fashions, so if someone, say a celebrity or current football star is seen wearing an old shirt their interest is perked. From that people follow and the idea of style and fashion spreads. Then it’s simply about the availability to its new-found audience. There are lot of football shirts out there with teams and brands releasing hundreds every decade. So, there’s a lot of choice, which ultimately means a lot of tastes can be catered for,” says David.
Many football clubs have used retro designs and have put a different spin on it to create new merchandise. In the 19/20 season this was a staple in football shirts created by Nike and also Adidas. Teams like FC Barcelona, PSG, and AS Roma shirts launched kits which were influenced by the 90s. Also in the same season, Adidas revived the ‘bruised banana’ pattern for the Arsenal away kit due to the reputation the 1990 kit has.
On why teams create merchandise based of old kits, “Well for teams like Man United and Arsenal, the history is the only thing keeping their club relevant so I understand why these clubs keep producing this type of merchandise as they have not been successful in years,” David jokingly says.
David says the 90s have also heavily influenced the merchandise that Cult Kits create and sell. “The player merchandise we create is our signature 90s bootleg tees, which are a homage to that of the merchandise sold outside of the stands during the 90s and at some clubs still to this day. We love them, they pay homage to the current players and the culture that is expressed on the stands.”
There are many iconic retro shirts but which ones sell the most? “Our best-selling shirts at Cult Kits are those worn by cult heros of football like Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Eric Cantona and David Beckham, so basically the teams they played for. These shirts sell out almost instantly.” Even though vintage shirts of bigger clubs sell the most, David added that they focus on smaller clubs too. “We stock thousands from all over the world, we don’t discriminate. The wilder the better in our eyes.”
Ben Robinson, who is a young Liverpool fan, says he likes collecting retro Liverpool shirts. “Being only 21, I didn’t get to experience our dominance in the 70s and 80s but wearing these football shirts gives me that connection to those days.”
Daniel Taylor, 32, is a Leicester City fan and thinks retro shirts are more popular than the new shirts. “I see people wearing retro shirts than the new ones nowadays, and for me it’s the same. I would much rather wear a retro shirt as it gives me memories of when I was really invested into Leicester City.”
As there been an increase of fake retro shirts being sold and passed off as originals, David says Cult Kits only sell authentic football shirts. “I understand that this comes with the risk of popularity increase for these retro shirts but it is wrong that fans are being lied to.”
Being a retro football shirt and merchandise shop, collaborations are an important part of the business. “We love the artistry which exists within the community, so for certain special projects we collaborate with designers/artists. But for our bootleg merchandise, this is done in-house by our design team. We’ve created all sorts over the years from car air fresheners, football shirt inspired socks and facemasks,” says David.
But will the demand still be there for vintage shirts in the future? David believes so. “Football will always be popular and people are nostalgic by nature so fashion, particularly vintage will always be an ever-present part of our fashion and lifestyle. And it is sustainable which of course fast fashion isn’t. So, we’re always going to be finding a new home for that pre-loved football shirt.”
