Athleisure partners up

A South African label that started with unofficial rugby shirts is now making licensed gear for the National Basketball Association, Manchester City, Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur, and South African teams like Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates. The company is called Old School, and Bloomberg reported the jump happened in just seven years. (bloomberg.com) Old School was founded by brothers Daneel Steinmann and Stef Steinmann after they could not find vintage-style shirts for the 2019 Rugby World Cup. They began by making their own Springboks-inspired tops before they understood how sports licensing worked. (bloomberg.com) The bet paid off when South Africa won that 2019 tournament and demand for retro-looking fan gear kept building. By the 2023 Rugby World Cup, Old School sold 4 million rand, about $236,000, of team shirts in a single day, which its chief executive said was almost equal to the company’s entire previous year of sales. (bloomberg.com) That surge landed in a market that was already moving in Old School’s direction. Euromonitor data cited by Bloomberg said the global sports-apparel market was worth $97 billion, while South Africa’s sports and athleisure segment grew 7% in 2025 against national economic growth of 1.1%. (bloomberg.com) The style Old School sells is not performance gear in the narrow gym sense. It is nostalgia clothing for fans, the same lane that made Mitchell & Ness valuable enough for Fanatics to buy a majority stake in 2022 at a $250 million valuation. (bloomberg.com) What changed for Old School is licensing. Instead of riffing on team culture from the outside, it now has formal deals that let it sell approved merchandise for global clubs and leagues to shoppers in South Africa. (bloomberg.com) That matters because sportswear in South Africa is no longer just about jerseys for match day. Euromonitor’s 2025 market report said local growth was being driven by athleisure demand, more casual dress codes, and consumer appetite for cross-functional styles that work in both everyday life and sport. (researchandmarkets.com) Old School has built enough retail muscle to use those licenses fast. The company employs more than 250 people and runs more than 20 standalone stores, kiosks, and pop-ups across South Africa, with a flagship shop opened in Stellenbosch in 2024. (wildcatsandblacksheep.com) The newest deals show how a regional brand can become a local translator for global sports properties. A Manchester City or Liverpool shirt sold by a South African company can be cut, styled, and marketed for fans in Johannesburg or Cape Town instead of being treated as leftover stock from Europe. (bloomberg.com) Old School is also still expanding the roster. Bloomberg said agreements with Barcelona and Real Madrid were in the works, and in March 2026 the company added products tied to Southern Guards in the LIV Golf League and to Tottenham Hotspur. (bloomberg.com) The bigger shift is that global sports brands no longer need to enter every market alone. In South Africa, they can now plug into a homegrown company that already understands the malls, the clubs, the fan habits, and the look people actually want to wear. (bloomberg.com)