Classic Football Shirts

In soccer, classic football jerseys teams release a new jersey. Sometimes these are subtle, like a tweak in a trim or the addition of a sponsor logo. Others are more striking, such as the radical redesign of a team’s kit for a major tournament or an era-defining color scheme that radically changes how fans look at their club.

Despite the ever-shifting nature of jerseys, one company has thrived on a more enduring version of the sport’s wardrobe. Classic Football Shirts has grown to sell shirts from England and Japan to fans hungry for the real deal, the shirt that transports them back to an era when their favorite team looked cool and confident in their kit.

The site has generated millions in revenue and earned an operating profit since Doug Bierton and Matt Dale co-founded the company as college students in 2006. It now operates two permanent stores in the U.K. and last year launched pop-up shops in Los Angeles and Miami, as well as a store in New York.

Classic Football Jerseys: A Tribute to the Game’s Greatest Eras

Chernin Group, which owns resale sites GOAT and ThredUp, has invested about $40 million in the company and will help Classic expand in the U.S., its second-largest market. The firm will also help the company explore collaborations, such as its current partnership with whisky maker Jameson, which places jersey silhouettes on the bottles.

Bierton and Dale founded the company in 2006 as part passion project and part side hustle. Now the pair own a warehouse full of thousands of items and have a cult following that includes celebrities such as Kim Kardashian and Drake, who each owns a rare vintage shirt.