Homage started humbly.
In 2007, founder Ryan Vesler, then just 23 years, imagined a T-shirt company that nodded to the long sports and pop culture history of his hometown, Columbus. Researching licensing deals and collecting old photos of past glory, he launched the brand as a solo project from home.
The vintage-inspired, nostalgic designs, soft fit, and quality construction struck a chord. And now, eight years later, the brand is exploding.
In 2015, Homage opened a third retail location and announced a fourth--and finally officially partnered with Major League Soccer, making fan-themed shirts for all 20 teams.
A love of soccer culture runs deep with the company's heads. The Crew and the U.S. Men's National Team were "a big thing" for them even before the brand started working with soccer material, said Elliott May, Homage's director of business development and licensing.
“We grew up going to games,” he said, “and we have a lot of the same pride in having one of the original MLS franchises in Columbus.”
Their new MLS fan collection, meanwhile, started thanks to a partnership with a Crew SC supporters' group, the Crew Union. “They saw some things being developed in the local market and saw fans around town wearing those kinds of shirts,” May said.
Homage started making Crew Union T-shirts and a variety of vaguely Crew-themed apparel.
Eventually, they began working with the Crew SC themselves, bringing the same sensibilities running through all their other collections.
“Whoever we work with, it’s all about staying true to the history of the teams and taking pride in that sentiment that evokes an emotional response from the fanbase, whether that’s the Ohio State University or the Crew,” May said.
But when the company landed an official deal with MLS, it marked "a whole different level,” May said. “We started out of the back of a car.”
With the freedom to make shirts for each team, they wanted to stick to their style. “We wanted to apply the same history focus that we do with all of our products,” he said. “We highlight the stories so we’re sure that what we’re doing authentically represents what the fans care about.”
