Few people in the world can claim the level of archive and expertise in football culture of Neal Heard. This is a veteran of the 80s terraces, where football culture was born, a living legend in his own right who is shaping the future of football fashion. His latest project is as the Creative Director of Meyba
As a sports and fashion brand consultant, Neal Heard has been keeping particularly busy recently, overseeing the emergence and continuing growth of the football fashion space as it evolves to become a staple in both performance and lifestyle circles. His latest venture sees him as the Creative Director of Meyba, breathing life back into this heritage brand and steering it into new, uncharted waters, navigating a place and time where football and football teamwear have never been so closely linked.
Meyba made its triumphant return with a retro-infused capsule collection that’s rooted in an iconic past but that looks to the future, and it’s been captured in a stunning lookbook, showing off that transition from performance to lifestyle, drawing on the brand’s footballing heritage through the use of bold shapes and colours to seamlessly link the worlds of football and fashion. It’s the first step in a new journey, and speaking to Heard about the brand and where it’s heading, it became clear if it wasn’t already, that they could have no better captain at the helm. Exciting times ahead…
Let’s start at the top, you’re a man in demand – what was it about MEYBA that really appealed to you as a brand to get involved with?
Yes, I'm blessed that things are working out for me but it all springs from a lot of hard work and also it shows that following your passions can pay off. I'm lucky enough to have been approached by quite a few sports brands to head up their back to market or revitalising brand strategies, but to be honest and with no disrespect to these parties they just didn't fit and feel right.
From the first meeting with the MEYBA team, I knew it was the one for me. Firstly, it came from a good place. It was a brand that I had always had a soft spot for and that counts as you don't have to fake it. Also, the brand owners were obviously very good at what they did with a great track record in the industry, but as importantly, they cherished the brand themselves; they didn't want to not do it justice – that counts. However, the clincher for me is that unlike most 'heritage' brands that I'd spoken with, MEYBA totally bought into the strategy of looking forward, they were proud of their glorious past but like me, they wanted to be relevant today, and make new memories and embrace the opportunities that exist in today's thriving and changing football teamwear market.
For those new to the brand, how would you describe its legacy?
Imagine this: MEYBA were kit suppliers to no less than F.C Barcelona themselves for 10 years! 10 years with Barcelona, imagine it. But it wasn't just any old era either, just reeling off the names will illustrate what I mean. Cruyff was their manager, I mean Cruyff! Instigating the foundations of his Ajax total football in Catalonia, which we've more recently seen come to fruition. Players list featuring Maradona, Laudrup, Stoichkov, Koeman, Pep Guradiola, Lineker and Hughes. Barca won their first European cup wearing the M of MEYBA, the legacy is deep and glorious.
How big an opportunity for a brand is it to enter the scene in a lifestyle first approach?
I'm lucky that organisations like yourselves and other cool peeps have followed and supported my various projects, so you will be aware that I have been one of the original proponents of a change in the football team supply world. This once traditional scene is having its feathers ruffled and we're seeing more and more how the world of teamwear is being appropriated and fused in with fashion and streetwear. Quite frankly, only the dinosaurs are treating it as it has always been and there are too many dinosaurs about.
MEYBA have bought into the whole idea of putting cool design to the forefront of what we do, this may seem obvious to your kind of readers, but believe me, it's not always the case. When we sign a club we want them to know we will deliver them a cool kit. We will produce a bespoke kit, no off the shelf templates from us.
Where would you see MEYBA fitting into the market?
We want to be brave. The fans are hungry for change and we will give them that. It sounds grandiose but we aim to be the coolest football brand out there. For me it was an absolute sweet spot in time. The football shirt world now reminds me of the 'sneaker' world when I wrote my book on those in 2003, as in there is a huge scope for growth and exciting change. Football shirts and teamwear will become more and more important as items in sartorial wardrobes. Think of how we all wear leisure wear with the logos of American sporting teams on them (without even knowing the reference) without giving it a second thought, this will happen with football. We want to be a big part of that, and Meyba have realised this from the off, so we won't have to do any false re-positioning in years to come, people will know we started out that way and are authentic, you can't buy that, though brands often try to...
Just how huge is that as an opportunity and prospect? What kind of clubs would you like to work with?
I'm basically super-excited about the opportunity. We have a target list of the type of clubs we want to work with and the net is cast worldwide. We are already actively talking with clubs and are hoping to sign some off over the coming year. For us it's not just about size, it's also about story. We also want clubs who are switched on and who get how the world is changing and want to come on the journey with us, all I can say at the moment is: watch this space.
Where do you take inspiration for the launch collection? How did it come together from a creative perspective?
Again, as I mentioned, it was kinda obvious. Never had actual teamwear been more relevant and cooler. It's vital MEYBA remembers that we are a football brand, we will always be so, we aren't an actual fashion brand, you won't one day find us making suits or duffle coats. For too long teamwear has been treated as an afterthought, lots of what you could buy from a club shop, you bought because you wanted to wear the badge of your club. What we want is to make cool teamwear, so good that you are proud to wear it with or without your teams' badge, you buy the item as it just looks great as well as functions as it should.
To that end most of our current collection and going forward collections will always be designed as teamwear that you will see the players wear when they get off the team coach, it just also happens to look damn good. There's a total crossover and cross fertilisation between our ranges and our club teamwear, the two go hand in hand. To that effect the whole range features these kinds of items, drill tops, training pants, pack away windbreakers, coach jackets, warm up coats and terrace jackets, it's all football, football, football. Our mantra was if you've played five a side in any of our collection you'll feel just as happy wearing it down the pub after.
What’s the response been like? It’s looks incredibly positive from the outside…
Luckily the world seems to have agreed with us, and the reception to our 'return' has been very positive, so I guess it's to enjoy the pressure and deliver what we love and trust the world will love it with us.
Shop the full collection at meyba.com
Photography by Sharon Lopez.
