LoveGunn Gives MatchWornShirt A Bold New Identity

Independent branding agency LoveGunn has unveiled a new identity for MatchWornShirt, evolving the global sports memorabilia platform into MWS and introducing a new brand proposition: Own the moment.

MWS partners with more than 300 clubs and rights holders, giving fans access to authenticated, one-of-a-kind pieces of sporting history – from match-worn shirts and boots to objects from boxing, cycling and beyond.

The project marks the second major chapter in LoveGunn’s relationship with the business. The agency first created MatchWornShirt’s identity in 2022, helping establish the company as a premium and trusted partner within football. Since then, the business has expanded significantly in scale, geography and ambition.

Securing the mws.com domain provided an opportunity to simplify the brand from MatchWornShirt to MWS – a shorter and more immediate name capable of stretching beyond football and across a much broader world of sports culture and collecting.

The evolution also addresses the increasingly high-profile environments in which the brand now appears, including shirt sponsorship, pitch-side LED, exhibitions, digital products and physical experiences.

From owning an object to owning a moment

At the centre of the new strategy is Own the moment. Rather than focusing purely on memorabilia as an object, LoveGunn shifted attention to the history contained within it: the mud stain, signature or imperfection; the player’s debut; the shirt worn for a match-winning goal.

Authentication creates trust, but the story behind each item creates its emotional value. The new positioning turns sporting objects into physical evidence of moments fans experienced, celebrated and want to hold onto.

Christian Gunn, Co-Founder and Managing Director of LoveGunn, said: “The first MatchWornShirt identity did exactly what it needed to do – it helped establish credibility and trust around the business. But MWS has grown enormously since then, and the brand needed to catch up with that ambition.

“This time, we wanted to move the conversation beyond the shirt itself. What makes these objects special isn’t simply who wore them – it’s what happened while they were wearing them. A goal, a debut, a final, a moment you’ll remember forever.

“That thinking led us to ‘Own the moment’ and ultimately to a much bolder identity that gives MWS permission to play a far bigger role in sport and culture.”

A brand built to be seen

The new visual identity gives MWS greater presence across both physical and digital environments.

LoveGunn developed a new wordmark, type system, refined colour palette, more impactful layouts and a flexible creative language centred around the unique marks and imperfections found on match-worn objects.

Motion stings bring additional energy to digital communications, while the system extends across packaging, merchandise, exhibitions, sponsorship assets and branded products.

The refreshed identity has also been applied across MWS’s website and app, with updates to design, search and user experience intended to make discovering, bidding on and owning sporting history more intuitive.

MWS has also begun taking its collection beyond conventional sporting environments, including exhibitions and gallery-style experiences in New York and Amsterdam.

The result is a brand designed not simply to sit alongside sport, but to become a recognisable part of the culture surrounding it.

Images: LoveGunn