Built From Scratch: How We Created the Nottingham Panthers Heritage Collection

There's a moment in every project where an idea stops being a sketch on a desk and becomes something real. For us, that moment came on a cold Tuesday morning in December, watching fans queue outside John Lewis in Nottingham's Victoria Centre  waiting for a collection we'd spent months building from nothing. This is the story of how it came together.

Where It Started

At Legacy Sportswear, we've always believed merchandise should do more than carry a logo. It should carry a story. And few clubs in British ice hockey have a story like the Nottingham Panthers a team whose history stretches back generations, woven into the fabric of the city itself.

When we first sat down with the Panthers, we didn't bring a product catalogue. We bought a question: what would it look like if fans could wear the club's history? Not a replica jersey. Not a souvenir. Something they'd reach for on a Saturday evening, at the rink or away from it clothing that belongs in their wardrobe because it belongs to their club.That question became the Heritage Collection.

Designing From the Archive Up

Building a collection from scratch means starting long before fabric and thread. We went back through the Panthers' history the crests, the colours, the eras that shaped the club and asked which details deserved to live again.

Every decision that followed was made with the fans in mind. The colours had to feel unmistakably Panthers. The typography had to nod to the past without feeling like a costume. The crest placement, the fabric weights, the cut of every garment each was tested, revised, and tested again until the collection felt cohesive: pieces that work in the stands on game day and on the high street the morning after.

We weren't designing merchandise. We were designing a wearable heritage with innovation stitched through it.

The Collection

The finished Heritage Collection brings together five pieces, each built to a standard we'd be proud to put our own name on:

The Letterman Jacket The centrepiece. A premium, varsity-inspired jacket that merges old-school cool with a Panthers twist, finished with the team crest. An icon of sportswear culture, reimagined for Nottingham.

The Hoodie Soft, heavyweight, and built for the stands. Sleek designs drawn from the Panthers' past make it as at home on the terraces as it is on the sofa.

The T-Shirt Heritage-inspired graphics on a relaxed fit. A statement piece or the perfect layer — pride you can wear every day.

The Trucker Cap  Modern silhouette, classic crest. The finishing touch for game day or any day.

Together, they tell one story: past, present, and future generations of Panthers fans, connected by what they wear.

Taking It to John Lewis

John Lewis in the Victoria Centre gave the Heritage Collection a home in the heart of Nottingham, putting the Panthers' story in front of the whole city, not just the hockey crowd.

Ellie Laughton, Head of Branch at John Lewis Nottingham, put it perfectly:

"The Nottingham Panthers Heritage range is a great addition to the pop-up selection in our shop. Fans have been excited to see the new range, even queuing outside of the shop on launch day. We're delighted to be supporting a local team, and the versatile pieces are perfect for game day and beyond."

Seeing our work on the shelves of one of Britain's most trusted retailers, side by side with the Panthers' crest, was a milestone for everyone at Legacy.

Launch Day

We hoped fans would turn up. We didn't expect what actually happened. Queues began forming outside John Lewis before the doors opened, with supporters arriving as early as 8am. One fan came straight from a night shift to make sure they didn't miss out. Within the first few hours, staff were already restocking shelves and by the end of day one, the first drop had sold out completely. throughout the year it sold out 5 times on every single release drop.That response told us everything. This wasn't just demand for merchandise. It was a community claiming a piece of its own history.

What This Means for Legacy

For us, the Heritage Collection is proof of what we set out to do when Legacy Sportswear began: craft clothing that connects people with the teams they love. Not licensed product pushed onto shelves, but collections built from the ground up  researched, designed, sampled, and refined until every detail earns its place.

The Panthers trusted us with their story. The fans showed up for it. And we'll carry everything we learned into what comes next.