THE MISSING SHIRT: REWRITING HISTORY FOR THE LIONESSES
tHE challenge
In partnership with Truant London and Foudys, we set out to confront a long-standing oversight in women’s football. Despite its growing popularity, England’s women’s team had never been honoured with a dedicated retro kit – a symbolic and cultural hallmark traditionally reserved for the men’s game. Ahead of the UEFA Women’s Euros 2025 championship, our challenge was to correct this imbalance by launching The Missing Shirt. The first-ever retro kit created exclusively for the Lionesses. More than just a product launch, this was a mission to reclaim visibility, pride, and heritage for the pioneers and fans of women’s football.
STRATEGY
To bring The Missing Shirt to life, we collaborated with former Lioness Claire Rafferty and Foudys founder Helen Hardy, two voices at the heart of women’s football. Claire’s personal connection to the national team added authenticity, while Helen’s grassroots perspective grounded the campaign in the community it sought to empower.
To maximise media traction, we equipped journalists with a comprehensive press kit: physical samples of the retro shirt, high-quality stills of Claire in both the new kits, dynamic B-Roll, and a powerful campaign film. This approach ensured the media had all the tools needed to tell a compelling story across channels.
RESULTS
The campaign generated exceptional media exposure, with widespread coverage across national and regional outlets. Highlights included live segments on Sky Sports News, TalkSPORT (including H&J, Kickback, and theWomen’s Football Show on talkSPORT2), BBC London’s Women’s Sport Show, LBC News, and more. The visibility affirmed The Missing Shirt as a moment of cultural reckoning in the sporting world.
MAKING IMPACT
The campaign led to real action. On Friday 4th July, ahead of the first UEFA Women’s Euros game 2025, fans visited the Foudys store on Regent Street to see the kit firsthand. Proceeds from sales of The Missing Shirt will go directly to supporting grassroots women’s football, ensuring that future generations can play with the resources, visibility and equality they deserve.
