THE TIMELESS APPEAL OF MEYBA: HONOURING HISTORY, CREATING THE FUTURE

Business, Culture & Lifestyle, Fashion, Sport
C.S

December 12, 2024

“MEYBA was carefully preserved, waiting for the perfect time to reintroduce it.”

IN CONVERSATION WITH JONATHAN JONES

Jonathan Jones, Head of Global Marketing for MEYBA, shares how the iconic football brand is making a comeback under the stewardship of Donkey Sports Merchandise.

WE USE THEIR HISTORY AS INSPIRATION

With a background spanning e-commerce, marketing, and fashion—having held pivotal roles at ASOS, eBay, and IKEA—Jonathan Jones combines his professional expertise with a passion for football to breathe new life into MEYBA.

“MEYBA has an authentic history that doesn’t need to be invented,” says Jonathan. Once synonymous with Barcelona’s European triumphs, MEYBA is celebrated for its heritage, including iconic moments such as the Catalan club’s 1992 European Cup victory.

The brand has ALSO outfitted legends like Maradona and Guardiola, alongside other clubs of historical significance.

When I think back to 1992 and imagine Barcelona under the guidance of Johan Cruyff, I can still see players like Ronald Koeman wearing that famous orange kit with the MEYBA logo etched onto it; slamming home a free kick past Sampdoria’s Gianluca Pagliuca to bring home their first ever European trophy. All done whilst looking incredibly fashionable.

It would be the last time MEYBA appeared on the club’s kit. Not a bad way to sign off. Forever part of history.

Jonathan and the team at Donkey Sports Merchandise, which acquired a 10-year license for MEYBA, are committed to honouring this legacy while driving innovation.

“We use their history as inspiration,” Jonathan explains, pointing to a recent design that modernised Barcelona’s silver-and-blue track jacket from 1992. “At the same time, we aim to create new, iconic designs that people will remember.”

The brand’s revival is guided by three core pillars: football, fashion, and music collaborations. Football remains central, with MEYBA partnering with teams like UE Sant Andreu, Club Esportiu Júpiter, and San Francisco City FC.

These partnerships extend MEYBA’S reach from the suburbs of Barcelona to the U.S. and beyond, with a jungle-inspired kit for Guyana’s national team marking the brand’s first international venture to be unveiled later this month.

MEYBA’S approach to fashion breaks from traditional seasonal drops, favouring year-round collaborations with music festivals and cultural events like Fabric’s 25th anniversary. “These projects connect football and fashion with younger audiences,” Jonathan notes, highlighting the brand’s dynamic, forward-thinking ethos.

This creative thinking and innovation has seen MEYBA partnering with Apple Corps to bring to life a football-infused clothing collection with The Beatles.

In 2023, MEYBA released a collection inspired by the iconic back catalogue of music, film, and imagery created by the legendary band from Liverpool.

The initial focus was a monochrome exploration of the Abbey Road album artwork, originally produced and released in 1969.

The renowned zebra crossing and classic black-and-white “The Beatles ‘Long T'” logos served as key inspirations, reimagined in various styles and formats throughout the collection.

Essentially, it’s brilliant. The word creative and iconic will get used a lot through this, but it is exactly that.

Jonathan and the MEYBA team could have relied on The Beatles name and put together a fairly standard collection. What they have done though goes way beyond that. It’s taking the three pillars they are guided by and smashing them into the top corner from 40 yards out…on the volley.

They have executed perfectly how to collaborate on a collection. There is heart, soul and thought in each one. It isn’t lazy; it’s not some template piece that has been thrown together. These are collector items.

SGT. PEPPER’S LONELY HEARTS CLUB BAND

There is quite possibly only one thing that could beat an Abbey Road-inspired collection. And that is a Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band one. Which is exactly what MEYBA has done.

A cornerstone of British psychedelia, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band is widely regarded as one of the first art rock albums.

Released in 1967, its groundbreaking cover, designed by Jann Haworth and Peter Blake, won the Grammy Award for Best Album Cover, Graphic Arts, cementing its place in cultural history.

Among the most iconic symbols of the band are the vibrant Sgt. Pepper suits, originally designed by M. Berman Ltd. Each suit was uniquely crafted with distinct patterns and designs, reflecting the individuality of the band members.

Growing up it was the first LP I can remember seeing and I can still envisage it as clear as day and how visually hypnotised I was by the sleeve art.

The whole concept of that album is still so far ahead of its time that it’s frightening. Like MEYBA, there is this glorious nostalgia with The Beatles, particularly with albums such as Sgt. Pepper’s, which is why it’s such a fantastic partnership.

It is an album that continues to inspire artistic collaborations, and MEYBA’S second officially licensed Beatles collection draws heavily from the visual and thematic world of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.

One highlight of this collaboration is a limited-edition 4-shirt presentation pack, with only 250 sets available. Each shirt in the collection is individually designed and influenced by classic football shirt silhouettes from The Beatles’ home city of Liverpool.

The jerseys honour each band member, incorporating colours, references, and names that tie back to the military-style uniforms featured on the iconic album cover.

The pack also includes an exclusive MEYBA x The Beatles drawstring bag, unavailable for separate purchase.

The shirts in this collection feature intricate details such as raised rubber reflective Sgt. Pepper‘s club badges and bespoke patterned prints.

Each jersey is uniquely designed with individual neck shapes and personalised back prints displaying the number 64, adding another layer of exclusivity.

This strictly limited collection is a celebration of the album’s enduring influence, with the Sgt. rank arm badge from the original uniforms serving as a final, iconic touch.

Another standout item from the collaboration is the Sgt. Pepper camo football shirt, which reinterprets the military-inspired visuals of the album.

Designed with a bespoke camouflage pattern and reflective Sgt. Pepper club badges, the shirt also features the number 67, commemorating the album’s release year.

The addition of the Sgt. rank arm badge ties it back to the original album design, making it a fitting tribute to the legendary record.

What MEYBA has done, which few other brands if any could pull off, is that they have reimagined the iconography of Sgt. Pepper‘s through the lens of football culture, creating a unique fusion of music, fashion, and football.

“I was gifted a Sgt Peppers’ gatefold vinyl many years ago and was intrigued by the design, use of colours, the special touches and hidden extras that came with the record, made it something very special,” explains Jonathan.

“We’ve taken that wonder, added our love of design and football heritage and delivered a truly unique MEYBA remix of Sgt Pepper.”

Each collaboration that MEYBA embarks on is unique and clever. Nothing is predictable. Johan Cruyff himself would have approved of the innovation being implemented to bring MEYBA back into the spotlight, where, quite frankly, it deserves to be.

Whether linking up with exceptional artists such as Peter O’Toole, creating designs for Festival B or launching their ICONS Collection, there is an unrelenting desire to continue developing the brand, exploring different avenues and discovering a new way of doing things. It’s like Tiki-taka but for fashion.

In just two years, MEYBA has grown from an idea in a founder’s kitchen to an operation with 10 employees and a global presence.

It was a pleasure for The Atlantic Dispatch to sit down with Jonathan to discuss MEYBA’S resurgence, its commitment to staying true to its roots, and its vision for the future of football-inspired fashion.

COMBINING MY PASSIONS FOR FOOTBALL AND FASHION

We started Donkey Sports Merchandise (DSM) two years ago and have been operating the MEYBA license for the same amount of time. My background is in e-commerce, marketing, and fashion.

I was one of the early employees at ASOS—around employee number 30—and by the time I left six years later, the company had grown to about 750 employees.

During my time there, I held various roles, including Marketing Director and Commercial Director.

After ASOS, I worked at eBay, spent some time at IKEA’s head office, and then worked at the British Museum for a couple of years—a very different experience. Eventually, I decided to take a step back and explore a way to combine my passions for football and fashion.

That’s when I met Mark, founder of DSM. We connected with the owners of MEYBA, the intellectual property holder for the brand, and negotiated a deal for DSM to acquire a 10-year license for MEYBA.

MEYBA WAS CAREFULLY PRESERVED, WAITING FOR THE PERFECT TIME TO REINTRODUCE IT

What drew us to MEYBA was its rich and storied history in football. This isn’t just another generic football brand created from scratch; it has an authentic, deeply rooted story.

The owner of MEYBA runs a business in Holland called Premium Inc. and owns several sports and fashion brands including the iconic Cruyff brand.

When MEYBA went into receivership in Spain in the mid-1990s, Premium Inc. made a pivotal decision. Rather than trying to revive the brand immediately in a crowded market, he chose to put it on ice—essentially preserving it until the right moment to bring it back.

As a result, MEYBA wasn’t devalued by being mass-marketed or sold at highly discounted prices, the brand was carefully preserved, waiting for the perfect time to reintroduce it

What’s remarkable about MEYBA is that we don’t need to invent its heritage or create a fictional backstory.

For example, I have thousands of photos of Maradona and Guardiola wearing MEYBA. The last time Barcelona wore MEYBA gear was in the 1992 European Cup Final when they won the trophy for the first time. That’s the level of history we’re working with.

Beyond Barcelona, MEYBA has also partnered with 10 to 15 other teams in Spain and Portugal, adding depth and cultural significance to its legacy.

It’s an iconic brand, and we’re excited to bring it back to life in a way that honours its history.

Our approach is to use that rich heritage as inspiration while creating new, innovative designs. When Barcelona won the European Cup in 1992, they wore a silver-and-blue track jacket. We used that design as inspiration, adapted it, and introduced a fresh colour palette.

OUR MISSION IS BUILT ON THREE KEY PILLARS

In the kits we create now—whether for music collaborations or the teams we work with—we often include subtle nods to the old designs. These might be small references, but they’re always there.

At the same time, we aim to push the brand forward and create iconic kits that people will remember.

We want people to look back and say, “I remember when MEYBA came back with that design.”

While we draw heavily from history, we can’t rest on our laurels. To ensure longevity, we must continue innovating and taking the brand forward.

Regarding football teams—yes, working with them is a priority. Our mission is built on three core pillars: football, fashion, and music collaborations.

Above all, football is our identity and passion. We are not branching into rugby, tennis, or Formula 1. Meyba is, and always will be a football brand.

Spreading ourselves too thin would dilute our focus. If we started making rugby kits or tennis gear, we’d lose our identity. Football remains the heart of everything we do.

IT’S BEEN AN EXCITING PROJECT

We’re working with professional teams in Spain, including CE Júpiter and UE Sant Andreu. UE Sant Andreu is located in a suburb of Barcelona and recently played against Real Betis in the Copa del Rey.

While UE Sant Andreu is a Division Three team, Real Betis of course competes in La Liga and their kits used to be made by MEYBA. It was great to see that history come together. That’s the beauty of football.

Our second team in Spain is CE Júpiter, and the design for their kit is based on the shirt worn by the Catalan side during the 1982/83 season.

Additionally, we now work with San Francisco City FC, the oldest fan-owned club in the United States, competing in the USL League.

While the MLS is tied up with Adidas, the USL offers opportunities for partnerships. San Francisco City FC’s sponsor, Muni—the San Francisco equivalent of the London Underground—perfectly aligns with the city’s identity.

Designing their kit has been an exciting project, and we expect it to sell well in both Europe and the U.S.

Beyond these teams, we’ve just signed our first international team, Guyana. Ranked 154th in the world, they’re a modest start, but the partnership is thrilling. Their new jungle-inspired kit beautifully reflects the country’s essence.

Competing in the CONCACAF region against teams like Costa Rica and Mexico, Guyana offers exciting possibilities.

WE’RE EXCITED FOR WHAT’S AHEAD

Our second pillar, fashion, involves year-round drops and collaborations rather than traditional seasonal collections.

The third pillar, music collaborations, connects football and fashion with younger audiences. Successful projects include partnerships with Festival B, the Warehouse Project, Fabric’s25th anniversary, Defected Records, Snowbombing and Monegros Festival in Spain, with more exciting collaborations in place for 2025