Kits a hit for Glanmire man as he taps into retro shirt market

A YOUNG man from Glanmire has turned his passion for retro football shirts into a online business based here in Cork.

Luke O’Connor’s first used his knowledge in the area to assist friends and it grew from there.

“To begin with, I started helping my close friends and teammates source vintage football shirts online from particular nostalgic periods,” he said.

“There was an obvious gap in the market for something like this within Ireland as the customer base grew which ultimately led to the release of the first KitLaunch website in September 2020.”

The website  has become a major hit not just within the Irish football shirt collector market, but within the wider world with customers in over 50 countries, including Australia, Argentina, and Saudi Arabia.

Luke says the retro football kit market exploded during the Covid-19 pandemic when people had extra time to explore websites like eBay and Depop to find deals.

Most football clubs release three new outfield shirts each season, as well as goalkeeper strips, training, and leisurewear.

The expense of buying replica shirts has led to football fans looking for cheaper alternatives.

Serie A league leaders Napoli have 13 different match day football shirts available on their online store for this season, including special edition Christmas and Valentine’s Day jersey’s, which would set you back €1,347.50 if you wanted to complete the set.

Luke noticed the gap in the market for affordable football shirts.

“The rise of the retro football shirt market has unfortunately come from significant price increases for new merchandise,” he said.

“For example, new Premier League shirts can be priced from €80-€130 by retailers.

“We try to offer affordable second-hand original football shirts from as low as €20 in some cases and can often be a lot nicer than the current shirt.”

Classic Football Shirts are seen as the market leaders in the football shirt world. The UK retailer have been plying their trade since 2006 and are currently the main shirt sponsor of Championship side Burnley.

Luke says Kitlaunch provides an Irish alternative for customers.

“Classic Football Shirts are massive; however, Brexit has caused a lot of barriers to consumers in Ireland and Europe when shopping online.

“Fortunately, we are able to address these dilemmas and provide a fast and cost-effective solution to our customers,” Luke said.

Luke’s love for retro football shirts began when he was ten years old.

His aunt bought him Manchester United’s 1999 Champions League winning shirt, from the year he was born.

The shirt is iconic in the Rebel county as Corkmen Roy Keane and Denis Irwin produced some of their best performances in a United shirt that season, leading to Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup triumphs.

“It was a shirt that nobody else had at training and parties, and of course from a particularly special period for the club,” he added.

Kitlaunch trade at several pop-up events in Cork and Munster. Their next big pop-up event is at The Vintage Fair, Marina Market across March 4 and 5.

Follow Kitlaunch on Instagram @Kitlaunch or visit https://kitlaunchcork.com/