We are excited to reveal that Luke Matthews, the Brand Director of size?, has been working closely with the Club on the design and up-coming release of our 2024-25 kits.

The proud Grimbarian grew up just a stone’s throw from Blundell Park and has excelled in his career in design, retail and marketing, rising to the position of director of a global brand with more than 30 stores across the UK, Europe and over the Atlantic. However, his Grimsby roots, and the Mariners, have stayed close to his heart.

“I was born on Tiverton Street, so I’ve always had quite a close connection to Blundell Park,” Luke explained.

“That weekly ritual of walking to the ground with my Grandad on a Saturday, picking up a Mars Bar for half-time and asking him why he enjoys Bovril so much are all still such fond, vivid memories.

“I’m now the Brand Director at the size? Group, overseeing the size?, Footpatrol and HIP businesses. Story-telling is a huge part of what I do; I regularly collaborate with the biggest footwear and apparel brands across the globe, creating limited edition launch products.”

For the past 12 months, Luke has been working in collaboration with Marketing and Communications Manager Jack Johnson on the move to Umbro and the Club’s kits and retail offering for the up-coming campaign.

“It’s been brilliant working with Luke on the design of these new Umbro kits,” Jack said.

“We’ve collaborated before on a previous project and the creative process for the kits went really well. When it came to the football shirt styles we liked and past pieces we wanted to reference, we were on the same page from the start.

“Luke’s also very well-respected and connected in this field and it’s been really beneficial to have him involved in the project.”

On the design of the new kits the Mariners will soon be wearing and the launch campaign, Luke said, “We referenced the phrase ‘fabric of the town’ in one of our design sessions and it’s true in both the literal and physical sense.

“In terms of the physical fabric, we’ve let our past empower our future by going through the archives to highlight iconic moments of design, fan favourite elements alongside some traditional DNA too.

“But in the literal sense, the same way it is in the terraces on a Saturday afternoon, our very town’s fabric is weaved together from a vast array of people and stories. And it’s these people and stories that form the centre of our campaign for this up-coming season.

Keep an eye on our social channels for more updates about the new kit later this week!

UTM