Following a successful shirt swap: Fan representative opens pop-up shop in the KÖ Galerie

Vintage football shirts have long been sought-after collector’s items. In Düsseldorf, however, there has until now been no shop dedicated exclusively to the classics from past seasons. That is now set to change: Fanwart has opened a pop-up shop in the KÖ Galerie. Back in June, the company, run by brothers Michael and Manuel Kremp, took part in the vintage shirt fair held there. Nearly 800 visitors and, at times, long queues demonstrated just how great the interest in historic football shirts is in Düsseldorf. Building on the success of the shirt fair, Fanwart is now running its own pop-up shop until the end of September.

The range on the ground floor of the KÖ Galerie spans from shirts from the 1990s and 2000s, through the 2010s, right up to models from recent seasons. Numerous German and international clubs are represented. These include many clubs from the region, such as Borussia Mönchengladbach, Borussia Dortmund, Fortuna Düsseldorf, Schalke 04, VfL Bochum and MSV Duisburg. The selection is complemented by shirts from other German clubs such as FC Bayern Munich, international clubs from England, Spain, Italy and other European countries, as well as various national teams.

With the rise of the ‘Blokecore’ trend, at the very latest, football shirts have established a firm place for themselves away from the stadium and have increasingly found their way into everyday fashion. The pop-up shop is therefore aimed both at long-standing football fans and collectors, as well as at fashion-conscious visitors who particularly appreciate the design and retro character of the shirts.

“Vintage shirts tell the stories of clubs, players and special moments that are unforgettable for many people. It is precisely these stories that we want to bring back to the city with Fanwart and provide a platform for this culture. Düsseldorf is the perfect place for this: the city is home to an extraordinary concentration of traditional clubs and a vibrant football culture that has grown over generations. With our pop-up shop, we want to bring this passion to life and revive the memories associated with the shirts,” says Michael Kremp, Managing Director of Fanwart GmbH.

“The huge turnout at our vintage jersey event in June showed just how much interest there is in this topic in Düsseldorf. We are therefore all the more delighted to welcome Fanwart, one of the retailers from back then, back to the KÖ Galerie. The pop-up store thus builds directly on the success of the jersey exchange and, for the first time, makes the range available in Düsseldorf over a longer period,” explains Alexander Balzer, Centre Manager of the KÖ Galerie.