You’ll never be able to look at a football kit in the same way again
It won’t surprise you to know that we see a lot of them. A hell of a lot. I still love football kits and it’s been fascinating to see how they’ve evolved over the years. But knowing in fine detail how they are designed, manufactured, printed and distributed means that every time my beloved Spurs bring out a new shirt, my first thoughts tend to be about pantones, embellishment techniques and unit costs. It’d be nice to just look at one and simply think “that’s a lovely kit”, but those days are long gone.
The correct way to say “Nike”
Working closely with some of the biggest brands in sport is such a privilege. And back when we started the business from our volleyball coach’s spare room, I could never have dreamed of some of the relationships that we’ve developed. But one of the things you learn from working with such iconic brands is how protective they are over their image. And quite rightly too. They’ve spent decades building their own style. I’ll never forget the size of the “Nike brand guidelines” document I got sent years ago. I’d love to see the Kitlocker.com logo treated with the same reverence one day! And by the way, it’s pronounced “Nikey”…
What a Vector File Is
The process of printing sportswear is much more complex and intricate than some people may think. Especially in 2024, with much more emphasis on the design process and the introduction of more sophisticated machinery. There are tonnes of variables that need to be spot-on and a lot of technical knowledge goes into every embellishment. Some of the teamwear jargon would probably sound like a foreign language to the layman. Most of us at Kitlocker HQ are fully fluent, and it’s incredible to see some of the skills on show every day by our team and the pride they take in their work.
You Can’t Just Follow One Football Team Anymore
Put the pitchforks away guys, I know it’s considered sacrilege to support more than one club. But it’s really hard not to develop a fondness for the clubs that we work with. I regularly find myself scanning the football scores at 6 o’clock on a Saturday to see how the likes of Carlisle, Cambridge, Boston, South Shields and so many more have got on (apologies if I’ve forgotten anyone). It goes beyond football too. Big shoutouts to Middlesex CCC, the Vitality Roses and Sheffield RUFC!
Sometimes You’ve Just Got To Say Yes
One thing I’ve learnt over the years is not to immediately say no if you think something is too big, too complicated or too scary. The prime example of this happened probably around ten years ago now. We were asked to take on a project by a huge and very well-known company, which essentially involved us printing, packing and shipping thousands of sets of kit over a period of a couple of months. Nowadays we’d do this without breaking sweat, but back then we didn’t quite have the space, the staff or the systems required to take on something of that magnitude. Or so we thought. We decided to go for it, and it was painful at times, but it was one of the best decisions we ever made. Saying yes to that project and making it work opened up doors that we’re still reaping the rewards of today.
Mike Kent is the co-founder and CEO of Kitlocker.com
