**POMPEII: From Madrid Friends to Redefining Football Style**
Remember that feeling, back in the early 2010s? When Instagram was just starting to really change things, making it feel like maybe, just maybe, you didn't need a huge budget or a fancy degree to get your ideas out there? Well, in Madrid, four school friends, barely out of their teens – 19 to 21 years old – felt it too. They looked at each other and thought, "Starting a fashion brand? Maybe that's not as crazy as it sounds." It wasn't some grand, plotted-out scheme, just a bunch of ambitious young people building something from scratch, seeing where it would take them. And that 'something' became POMPEII.
They kicked things off with footwear. It was a mix of gut feeling and smart thinking, really. Cosme Bergareche, who's the Creative Director at POMPEII, explained it simply: "We felt there was less competition at an entry level." Starting with shoes gave them a bit of an edge, a sense of something a bit rarer, a bit different, in a crowded market.
Before football became such a big part of what POMPEII is known for today, the brand had a quieter, but no less powerful, identity. It was all about capturing the spirit of Madrid – that specific tone, that vibe – and translating it into their designs and how they talked about themselves. Cosme put it perfectly: "Being yourself is the easiest way to be unique. Nobody can do you better than you." It's a simple truth, isn't it? And it became a core part of their DNA.
Over the years, just like its founders, POMPEII has grown up. They've resisted that urge, that pressure, to constantly chase the next young trend or a younger crowd. They’re playing a longer game. "We’ve never been afraid of change," Cosme told me, "but we always remind ourselves that we’re building something slowly, with a long-term vision." It’s about being thoughtful, taking your time, and letting things evolve naturally.
So, where does football fit into all this? When it finally came into the picture, it wasn't some sudden, calculated pivot. It felt more like a homecoming, a return to what they believed in from the start. Think about it: these are guys who grew up in the 1990s. They spent hours on video games like Pro Evolution Soccer – or PES, as we all called it – meticulously designing imaginary football kits, dreaming up the perfect strips. So, of course, a bit of nostalgia plays a big part. Cosme laughed when he said, "We’ve been designing kits since the PES days." He admitted, "Like every generation, we feel kits were better back then – even though we know, rationally, they probably weren’t." It’s that shared feeling, isn't it? That longing for the past, even if it’s a bit rose-tinted.
But it's not just about nostalgia. Cosme also touched on something many of us feel as fans today: "It feels like money drives everything." He’s not wrong, is he? Sponsors are all about the highest bidder, and suppliers are chosen for their sheer size and reach. They get it; they understand that "Football needs to be financially viable." That’s just the reality of the modern game. However, there’s a downside. When massive global sportswear brands are juggling dozens of clubs, something inevitably gets lost. "They focus on three or four flagship teams," Cosme pointed out. "The rest often receive something much more generic." And if you’re a fan of one of those 'rest' teams, you feel it. Your club’s identity can get diluted.
This is where POMPEII offers something different. Their approach is about depth, not just casting a wide net. They don't see clubs as just another 'account' on a spreadsheet. Instead, they treat them as living, breathing environments. For them, it's standard practice to visit the stadium, yes, but also to take long walks through the city, soaking up the atmosphere, talking to local people. It's about understanding the heart and soul of a place, not just its branding guidelines.
This deep dive, this immersion, really shapes POMPEII’s whole philosophy. Cosme makes a good point: the football industry often focuses heavily on the athletes – the 23 players in a squad. And rightly so, they’re the ones on the pitch. But those players, as important as they are, are just a small part of the whole story. "Meanwhile," he said, "you have 20,000 fans in a stadium every two weeks." These are the people who live and breathe the club, week in, week out. And what do they want? "Those fans want something they can wear to the match and on their Sunday walk." It’s a subtle shift, but it’s a big one: moving the focus from just performance on the field to the broader participation of the fans, the culture around the game.
And this shift has some real implications for how clubs operate. Cosme believes, "most clubs will eventually have both a kit supplier and a lifestyle supplier." Think about it: the big global brands can still handle the high-tech performance gear, the stuff the players need on the pitch. But then, smaller, independent labels like POMPEII can step in to shape the cultural side, creating pieces that resonate with the fans' everyday lives. Even without formal, massive partnerships, you’ll probably see more and more smaller fashion collaborations popping up. For clubs, this isn't just about looking good; it's about connecting with their supporters in new ways, reaching different groups of people who might not typically engage with the club’s merchandise. It makes sense, doesn't it?
So, what do the big manufacturers miss? Cosme didn't mince words. "Working with 50, 60 or 70 clubs inevitably makes it harder for projects to feel personal." It’s just logistics, really. And often, the people making the decisions aren't necessarily specialists in product or design, they’re more focused on the business side. His solution is pretty straightforward, and it makes a lot of sense: embed creative direction right within the clubs themselves. Imagine having someone whose job it is to ensure that everything – the kits, the marketing campaigns, the whole identity – all flows together with a clear, long-term vision. That would be a game-changer, wouldn't it?
For POMPEII, their process is deeply personal. "We visit the city, the stadium, the training grounds," Cosme explained. "We go through their books and revisit every previous kit." It’s like being a detective, digging through history, trying to understand the club's journey. From all that immersion, the design direction just… emerges naturally. If a club has already explored every bit of its civic history, they might look to the supporter subculture for fresh ideas. If the look is usually all about rough-and-ready terrace style, maybe they’ll find inspiration in a specific typeface or some forgotten graphic detail from an old program. Their recent collaboration with Real Racing Club, a Spanish second-tier team – their second time working together, actually – really shows this approach in action. You can see the thought, the history, woven into the fabric.
They're really focused on identity, but there’s a line. "Politics can instantly exclude a large part of the fan base," Cosme stated. And he’s right. Football has this incredible, rare power to bring people together, people who might have totally different beliefs, different ways of seeing the world, all under one roof, cheering for the same team. That shared, collective experience is something precious, and it’s not something POMPEII wants to mess with or break apart.
When it comes to inspiration, their mood boards lean heavily into late-90s and early-2000s European football. But it’s never a direct copy. They take those vibes and reinterpret them. You’ll see collars designed to feel more like a classic polo shirt, and that word 'refined' keeps coming up. Because, as Cosme put it, "We design [kits] to be worn off the pitch too." It’s not just about what happens for 90 minutes on a Saturday; it’s about what you wear to the pub, to the park, to meet friends. It’s about integrating football into your everyday style.
And here’s another interesting detail: they see sponsors as a vital part of the design, not just an add-on. Cosme remembers being a kid, following different teams from different countries, and picking Italy’s Fiorentina simply because of the Nintendo logo splashed across the chest. "That shirt is iconic," he says. "It wouldn’t be the same with a different sponsor." He’s right, isn't he? Some sponsors become part of the legend, part of what makes a kit truly memorable.
The little things, the details – they really do matter, sometimes more than we realise. "We’re part of a wider movement," Cosme told me, a movement that believes football can be presented in a different way, with more thought, more care. "We look back a lot, but not out of nostalgia alone. We’re using that past as a foundation to open new doors." So, POMPEII isn't trying to pull football back into some bygone era, nor are they trying to tear down tradition just for the sake of something new. They’re carving out a space right in the middle. They respect history, they’re clued into current culture, and they truly believe that what goes on in the stands and on the streets – the everyday lives of the fans – is just as important as the action on the pitch.
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