FC St Pauli Wants To Make Kits For Other Teams, In-House 21-22 Kits To Be Already Revealed On December 1
German club FC St. Pauli was unable to find a suitable supplier that achieve its goals for sustainability and others aspects, so it will make its own jerseys in future. Now it has been also revealed that the club would like to equip other teams.
"This independence and the search for new ways has always been a hallmark of FC St. Pauli. So with our own team sports collection, we are continuing to consistently pursue our path of independence," said President Oke Göttlich.
The supplier will be named DI!Y. "DI!Y is derived from the term DIY 'Do it yourself: Do it yourself'," explains Göttlich. "That's exactly what FC St. Pauli is all about: not always just grumbling, but doing it better yourself."
FC. St. Pauli Launches Own Sports Brand - Interview & More Details
FC St. Pauli had not extended the expiring contract with the current supplier Under Armour. The club was on the lookout for a new external partner, but none could meet the desired criteria in terms of sustainability, transparency and fair trade.
St. Pauli departmental heads Bernd von Geldern and Martin Drust explained more about the project.
The goal is to produce "the most sustainable team sport collection in the world," said Bernd von Geldern, Managing Director Sales. "We want to show that quality, sustainability and fair working conditions do not have to be mutually exclusive, even for performance clothing".
From a business point of view, moving to in-house production involves taking a risk, of course. What was the decision-making process in this respect?
Von Geldern: "We aren't saying it'll be the most sustainable jersey. It'll be the most sustainable teamsport collection, with all 55 products. We'll make everything ourselves, from the socks to the rain jackets. We've already shown it can be done without putting prices up if you do things intelligently when we switched the production of the skull and crossbone shirts to Fairtrade and GOTS
We aren't going to use it as an excuse to make everything more expensive
We changed the production sites and fine-tuned other things. We aren't going to use it as an excuse to make everything more expensive. There will be costs involved, but that's our position on the issue. That's also why we hope there'll be imitators who understand that it's not just a football shirt, it's a statement."
Besides the shirt, Pauli will also be producing their teamsport collection in-house, all under the key aspect of sustainability. Is that financially viable?
Von Geldern: "We've taken a confident and powerful business decision as a club. In times of the coronavirus, you start to waver a little, of course. Do you take the certain money of a kit supplier or do you take a risk? We decided to approach the issue as a community and as a collaborative action involving our employees, members, fans and stakeholders.
We're going with advance sales, which reduces the business risk
We're going with advance sales, which reduces the business risk. It'll be a huge burden for our warehouse and online shop, of course, but we're approaching it with immense joy and optimism."
St. Pauli 21-22 Kits To Be Shown On December 1 2020
The new in-house St Pauli jersey will be shown for the first time on December 1 and is on sale in advance, will cost 70 Euros - five Euro less than the Under Armour shirt. The full collection will be available to buy and wear from May 2021.
FC St Pauli wants to equip other clubs with a neutral line
According to German sports magazine Kicker, in the future, other clubs could also jump on this bandwagon. FC St Pauli wants to equip other clubs with a neutral line.
What do you think of FC St- Pauli's move to launch an own sports brand? Do you think any other bigger teams are interested to wear jerseys from St. Pauli proposed neutral line? Comment below, and see the full interview with St. Pauli departmental heads Bernd von Geldern and Martin Drust about this major project on the club's website.
