Sportswear brand SUDU has launched a new long-term innovative kit partnership with Wolverhampton Wanderers.
The deal see’s the Premier League club collaborate with SUDU to become its official technical kit partner which aims to make a “significant shift in the traditional kit supply model”.
The Levy Merchandising sportswear company worked alongside figureheads at the club, including first-team players, to design a kit that will enable peak performance whilst also making them affordable for fans to buy.
Joe Poole, Head of Partnerships at Levy Merchandising, explained: “Unless you’re in the Premier League ‘Big Six’, the team and brand model is broken. It’s self-serving for brands as opposed to being a true partnership and we want to change that.
“Seven-figure value is being lost by sports teams through inflated marketing costs, but even more so as a result of a disjointed supply chain which squeezes margins to the detriment of teams and fans.
“We’ve seen the price of Premier League jerseys increase consistently over the past few years. Our philosophy is that a pro jersey should not cost £125, Wolves’ will be £80. A replica jersey should not cost £80, Wolves’ will be £58.”
The SUDU-designed kits will be made available across the Wolves men’s, women’s and academy teams from the 2024/25 season onwards.
SUDU and Levy Merchandising have attempted to break away from the regular template models of the likes of Nike and Adidas. Premier League kits manufactured by the two sportswear giants also come with additional costs.
Wolves stated it looked for a kit design that would focus on a reduced expense whilst not compromising the craftsmanship of an optimal design.
Max Kilman, Wolves Club Captain who has played a part in the product creation process, commented: “It has been really interesting to play an active part in creating our kit for this season. Since we were first introduced to SUDU, the designers and product development team have kept us constantly updated.
“Seeing feedback on fabrics, design and our performance needs worked into the finished products has been a really positive experience for us. We are delighted with the final products and are excited to wear them this season.”
While the creation of the Wolves kits has been spearheaded by SUDU’s Design team, who, collectively have experience across the likes of Adidas, Puma, JD Sports, Berghaus and Regatta, Levy Merchandising’s team has considerable experience across multiple sports, including across licensing, product, buying and retail, design, manufacturing, ecommerce and trading.
Russell Jones, General Manager of Marketing and Commercial growth at Wolves, added: “This fresh new approach to kit creation is long overdue and we’re delighted that Wolves get to be at the forefront of this innovative approach.
“For far too long top tier clubs like Wolves have been held to template designs. This partnership enables Wolves to work with fans and players to create technical products with our heritage at the forefront of design.
“We are also able to continue to widen our reach, as this innovative model allows us to create attractive price points to better distribute within the U.K and internationally ensuring that Wolves products can be available, at affordable prices for fans, in-stores all over the world.”
