Own the moment
The identity we created for MatchWornShirt in 2022 had done its job. It established the brand as a premium, trusted partner in football and helped support its growth to more than 300 official partnerships with clubs and rights holders. But the ambition of the business had outgrown the brand. Securing the long sought-after mws.com domain created an opportunity to move beyond a name that was cumbersome to say, type and search for. At the same time, the existing identity was struggling to perform in the increasingly prominent spaces the brand now occupied — from pitch-side LED boards and shirt sponsorship to small-scale digital applications. With MWS targeting significant growth in the US, the world’s largest sports collectibles market, and the 2026 World Cup providing a landmark moment to announce itself stateside, the brand needed to become as visible to fans as it had become trusted by partners.
LoveGunn evolved MatchWornShirt into MWS, creating a bolder and more immediate brand built for greater consumer recognition without sacrificing the trust it had spent years earning. At the heart of the refresh is a new proposition, Own the moment. It reframes sporting memorabilia around the reason fans collect in the first place. A match-worn object is more than something once owned by an athlete; it is a unique piece of a moment in sporting history. The new identity gives MWS the confidence and flexibility to own bigger spaces, reach new audiences and expand across new sports, while bringing fans closer to the stories that make every object unique.
Our strategy shifted the focus from the object itself to the moment contained within it.
A mud stain. A rip. A signature. A player's debut. The shirt worn for a match-winning goal. These details transform memorabilia into something more powerful: physical evidence of sporting history.
By bringing the stories behind each item to the forefront, MWS can create greater meaning, desirability and collectability around every object on its platform. Authentication provides the trust, but the story creates the emotional connection.
Own the moment captures that idea in three words. For collectors, it is the opportunity to possess something completely unique. For fans, it is the chance to hold onto a moment they experienced, celebrated or will never forget.
For MWS, it provides a platform broad enough to move beyond football and into sports culture more widely.
LoveGunn created a bolder visual identity designed to put MWS at the heart of the action.
A confident new typeface, refined colour palette and more impactful layouts give the shortened MWS brand greater presence across everything from shirt placement and perimeter boards to exhibitions, campaigns and digital experiences.
The creative system focuses attention on the details that make every item unique. Marks, signatures, imperfections and traces of the action become storytelling devices, allowing the identity to reveal the history contained within each object rather than simply presenting it as a product.
New motion stings bring energy and immediacy to digital content, while an expanded suite of packaging, merchandise and branded products creates a more cohesive experience around collecting.
The result is an identity designed not just to sit alongside sport, but to command attention within it.
The refreshed identity extends across the MWS website and app, with updates to design, searchability and user experience built around making discovering, bidding on and owning sporting history more intuitive.
Every touchpoint is fan-focused, helping users get closer to the stories, players and moments behind the objects they are bidding on.
Beyond the platform, the new identity has also given MWS permission to move beyond traditional sporting environments. From exclusive exhibitions in New York to gallery spaces in Amsterdam, MWS can present memorabilia not simply as merchandise, but as culturally significant artefacts worthy of display and collection.
That broader platform is opening up new audiences, new geographies and new opportunities for MWS — from exclusive access and extraordinary objects to superstar appearances and an increasingly significant share of the global sports collectibles market.
