The 12th Man Retro
Category
Retail | Football Fashion
Type of work
Brand / Social Media Management Website / Print / Digital
The 12th Man Retro is the West Midlands only dedicated football shirt shop.
Based at The Parade Shops in Shrewsbury, they sell high quality, retro football shirts, along with an exclusive capsule range of bespoke football related merch.
We started work with The 12th Man three months prior to their launch in December 2025, and our support has been comprehensive, covering everything from helping them devise the name, developing a new brand identity, social media management and strategy, to designing and building the website and a range of print material. We worked closely with owner Shaun every step of the way to help shape and nurture this exciting brand from its very foundation.
The brand identity
Inspired by the supporters of the game often being referred to as “the twelfth man” due to their contribution to the success of a team, the brand needed an identity which is striking and memorable as they entered a market where vintage football shirts have become a firm feature of the fashion and lifestyle scene.
The brand also needed to speak to football fans of all ages and backgrounds on the lookout for a shirt which allows them to express their identity, style and culture.
The logo is inspired by the fans sitting in the terraces and the shape of the seats which bear witness to the action on the pitch are echoed in the number 12, creating an iconic geometric symbol with a bold modernist style. Paired with characterful typefaces and a colour palette inspired by the world of football, the identity feels fresh and energetic.
The identity has extended across a broad visual language for merchandise, social templates, print materials, packaging and the online shop.
Developing a social presence
Brand identity
The strategy for the first 12 months was to connect with and grow our audience organically, creating a sense of community in an entertaining and informative way.
Positioning The 12th Man as a place for football fans to not only purchase rare and unique shirts, but to delve into the history of their favourite teams and players, providing fans with a shared platform to express their passion for the beautiful game.
This organic social-first social media strategy has helped deliver:
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Well over 10,000 post engagements in the launch month
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1 million social media content views across the first 12 months
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5,500 social media followers and mailing list subscribers in 12 months
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Multiple local press features, including BBC coverage
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A partnership with Shrewsbury Town FC
A new digital platform
The 12th Man Retro website launched in October 2025. Built on Shopify, the website felt like the next natural next step for the digital side of the business.
Having shaped the brand’s persona and visual identity from inception, the website was designed as a seamless extension of our existing brand work. We prioritised a "mobile-first" shopping experience, ensuring that high-intent traffic could navigate their vast shirt inventory with ease.
The launch surpassed all our benchmarks and within the first 48 hours, the site recorded 500+ unique visits, resulting in multiple shirt lines selling out completely.
Within 6 months our work contributed to the creation of a thriving community of returning customers, helping The 12th Man move to a larger premises, doubling the size of their retail space.
Ongoing support
At the start of 2026 we trained The 12th Man team on how to competently run their own Instagram and Facebook, giving them confidence to build on our solid foundation, while offering a host of hints, tips and key practices.
We still work with them today on a more project based arrangement, with our most recent work, creating a new video series designed exclusively for paid ad campaigns.