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.