The vintage football shirt curator celebrates its first brand platform with a cinematic, tongue-in-cheek film that places shirts at the heart of culture, not just the pitch.
Cult Kits, the cult-favourite brand known for curating one of the world’s most extensive collections of vintage football shirts, has stepped into the advertising arena for the very first time.
Teaming up with VCCP Blue and content studio Girl&Bear, the brand has unveiled The Shirt Matters, a new brand platform and creative campaign that challenges how we think about the humble football jersey.
For Cult Kits, this is a clear statement of intent. Launched globally across YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok, the campaign targets adults who love football, as well as those who see the sport as inseparable from the wider creative culture, encompassing music, fashion, and film. It’s a recognition that football shirts aren’t just merchandise; they’re cultural artefacts deeply rooted in nostalgia, personal identity and collective memory.
At the centre of the campaign is a short film, Wiseguys, conceived by VCCP creative Paul Kocur, who also directed the piece. Produced by Girl&Bear Studios, with post-production handled in-house at Girl&Bear Post, the film is a playful homage to classic gangster showdowns. Instead of fighting over money, power or territory, these wise guys find themselves locked in a tension-filled standoff over something far more precious: a football shirt.
By placing a football shirt at the heart of a dramatic, tongue-in-cheek narrative, Wiseguys sets the tone for the entire platform. It invites viewers to consider how a shirt can serve as a badge of belonging, a time capsule, or a symbol of love for a club or an era. It’s a conversation starter, not just an item of clothing.
Paul Kocur, associate creative director at VCCP, was excited to bring this vision to life. “As a creative, I’ve always wanted to direct,” he says. “This was the perfect chance to collaborate with a brand I love, tell a smart story, and do it all on a shoestring.
“We wanted to create something that would stand out, entertain, and make people think differently about a football shirt. Cult Kits isn’t just selling jerseys – they’re curating culture. And we wanted the work to reflect that.”
For Cult Kits founders David Jones and Robert Kocur, The Shirt Matters puts a stake in the ground about what makes their brand different. “We’ve always seen Cult Kits as more than just a place to buy football shirts,” they explain. “We’re about stories, style, and cultural crossover. This campaign shows how much a shirt can really mean — and does it in a way that’s smart, funny, and distinctly us.”
The collaboration was a dream fit for Girl&Bear, too, according to Olly Calverley, head of film and content and executive producer Ed Rosie. “This is one of those brilliant projects that comes along every now and then, and we just couldn’t resist getting involved,” they say.
“It’s a great brand with a killer script, and with so much talent across Girl&Bear, we had everything we needed to make it happen — so we got stuck in and had a great time doing it.”
In many ways, the launch of The Shirt Matters feels like a natural progression for Cult Kits. Over the years, the brand has built a loyal following of fans drawn not just to the shirts themselves but to the stories behind them. From tales of underdog triumphs and unforgettable tournaments to cult players and eras that defined football’s golden moments, this campaign takes that storytelling to a wider, more mainstream audience.
The work also taps into a broader creative trend: reframing objects of fandom through the lens of design, narrative and emotional value. In an age of vintage drops, archival fashion and cultural nostalgia, Cult Kits’ perspective feels more relevant than ever.
As the campaign rolls out across social and digital channels, Cult Kits hopes it will spark conversation and invite people to reconsider what football fashion truly means. Whether you’re a lifelong collector or someone who just likes to wear the odd classic kit to the pub, The Shirt Matters makes a compelling case for the continued power of these garments to connect people to place, to time, and each other.
With its witty take on gangster tropes, cinematic style and an undeniable passion for football culture, Wiseguys sets a confident tone for what Cult Kits might do next in its brand storytelling journey.
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