Y1 Group, a British sports and custom apparel company that rose to fame following its appearance on BBC show Dragons’ Den, has acquired university clothing specialist Redbird Apparel in a seven-figure deal.
The acquisition brings together two founder-led businesses that each began with just a few thousand pounds from their student loans. They have been built without venture capital investment and now form a combined business generating more than £7.5 million in annual revenue.
It also creates one of the UK’s leading providers of premium branded apparel by combining Y1’s expertise in bespoke sportswear, teamwear and custom merchandise with Redbird’s fashion-led university clothing, rapid-turnaround collections and eCommerce platform.
The deal comes as demand for premium branded apparel grows. The founders believe the era of cheap promotional merchandise is over, with universities, sports clubs and businesses increasingly investing in clothing that people actively choose to wear and identify with.
Chris Rea, Founder of Y1 Group, said: “Ten years ago, organisations bought branded merchandise to give away. Today, they invest in apparel that builds identity, loyalty and belonging.
“People want clothing they’re proud to wear – not promotional stash that ends up at the back of a wardrobe. Redbird recognised that shift early, building an exceptional business around great design and customer experience.
“Together, we’re creating one of the UK’s most comprehensive premium apparel businesses, combining bespoke teamwear with rapid-turnaround fashion collections. This partnership puts us firmly on track to achieve our 2030 ambition of £20 million turnover and becoming the UK’s fastest-growing sports apparel provider.”
Unlike many high-growth consumer businesses, both companies expanded organically, funding growth through profits while building long-term relationships across education and grassroots sport rather than relying on external investment.
The deal also completes an unlikely entrepreneurial full circle.
While building Redbird as university students at Exeter, founders Guy Brown and Laurence Snow looked to Y1 Group – whose appearance in the Den had become well-known among aspiring entrepreneurs on campus – as proof that a student startup could become a national business.
Today, the company that inspired them has acquired the business they built.
Suzanne Waring: Is this Britain’s most straight-talking founder?
“The company that first inspired us has now bought us. We love that,” said Brown.
“We were both students at Exeter university. We both started Redbird with just £1,000 each from our student loans because we believed university clothing deserved to be better.
“Students wanted apparel that looked and felt like brands they already wore – not generic merchandise designed around the cheapest possible product.
“We focused on building a sustainable business through great products and happy customers, growing to thousands of orders without taking on venture capital. Joining Y1 gives us the scale, expertise and investment to take that vision even further.”
Since launching while at university, Redbird Apparel has fulfilled more than 200,000 orders, supplying clothing and merchandise to universities, sports clubs and student societies across the UK, including Oxford and Cambridge.
Together, the businesses now offer bespoke custom apparel, rapid-turnaround fashion collections, eCommerce merchandise platforms and a wider range of branded accessories, creating one of the UK’s most comprehensive providers of premium apparel for schools, universities, sports clubs and organisations.