Random Rugby Shirt – Pink/Green Stripe

Rugby shirts always have and always will be a firm favourite here at TRiCKETT as they are proper versatile. They seem to combine the smart/casual etiquette of a polo shirt, the heft of a sweatshirt, the formality of a shirt and the comfort of a long-sleeved t-shirt. Don’t worry though, these aren’t the type of rugby shirt that your drunk uncle would wear to a barbecue, these are much more stylish.

With rugby being a very British sport, it seemed only right to make them in this country. When we first started out, the country was awash with great, 100% cotton rugby shirt manufacturers. As the game moved over to polyester fabrics and sportswear companies chased profits, thankfully our friends Roy and Helen stuck to the traditional cotton fabric worn for chasing eggs. They are now the only dedicated rugby shirt manufacturer in the country.

The fabrics are knitted, finished, cut and sewn by Helen and Roy in their small workshop in the Midlands. What these two don’t know about traditional rugby shirts isn’t worth knowing. Roy can even remember the stripes that all the private schools and universities across the land use and he hasn’t made their shirts for decades. Each shirt is hand-numbered and comes with a lovely woven label, just to make it extra special.

The shirts that Roy and Helen make for us are made to our specification and, by crikey, are they lovely. The shirts come with the traditional collar, three-button placket, rubber buttons and a split reinforced hem. They are made from a custom 100% cotton which is manufactured just for us and is finished with a lovely soft handle. The arm hole is a little higher and the sleeves a little trimmer so that you don’t have flappy sleeves… no-one likes that.

This shirt is part of our ‘Random Rugby’ series where we go rooting around in Roy’s archive of fabrics to make unique jerseys using four panels of deadstock fabric. Roy tells me that the fabrics range from two years old, to over two decades old! Some were never used due to brands cancelling their orders and we couldn’t let them sit on a shelf forevermore. We decided that using panels of the fabrics was the best idea as some rolls had enough to make full shirts, some only had enough for a sleeve. Each shirt uses the same four fabrics, in the same position, so the shirt you receive will look like the one pictured.

You may be thinking, “Iain, this seems really loud, will I look silly?” and when we first made these things, I will be honest I thought the same, but after wearing one for a bit you soon realise how versatile they are and how people actually compliment your top when wearing it. Also, if you like it, that is all that matters! Due to fabric stocks, they can only be produced in SUPER limited numbers too, which makes things even more exciting!

I think this can literally be worn anywhere and you can pretend that this is the shirt of some elite rugby team that you played for. You would’ve made it to being a professional, but it was your pesky knees which let you down!

So put your layering worries to bed and enjoy your new favourite item of clothing.

Made in the UK

100% Cotton