England-based sports equipment and apparels manufacturing company, Looks, made headlines last week after signing kit deals with two of Zimbabwe’s biggest football clubs Highlanders and Dynamos in the past two weeks.
By Munyaradzi Madzokere
The deals, facilitated by Looks sportswear-licenced distributor in Africa On The Ball (OTB), are worth a massive US$300 000 each while their designs seem to have been well-received by the clubs.
OTB, led by Zimbabwean Peter Chiveso, is looking to dominate the local sports scene going forward and is currently negotiating deals with other local clubs. Chiveso took time to shed more light on how his company scored with the two biggest clubs in the country.
“We are extremely proud and thrilled to have signed two of the biggest clubs in Zimbabwe. We started speaking to the clubs in January this year and negotiations took just over two months. “During that time, the pandemic struck and the entire process was delayed until the last quarter of 2020,” OTB chief executive Chiveso said in an interview from his South Africa base.
“Being Zimbabwean myself, the decision to launch our brand back home was a natural one. The management and leadership of both clubs have been very positive and professional and this helped us navigate the negotiations through a very difficult period.”
In the process, Dynamos became the first football club to wear the Looks sports apparel on the continent with Bosso following suit a few days later.
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“We will supply the clubs with match kits, training kits, travel gear, replicas and other fan regalia for a period of three years. “The clubs will stand to benefit financially from the sale of all badge products supplied,” explained Chiveso.
Chiveso is thrilled with how the brand’s unique designs were received at Dynamos and Highlanders.
He also revealed that their company is looking to push the Looks brand in the country with more deals set to be announced soon.
“Our uniqueness is in the variety of our styles and the vibrancy of our colours. We have already caused a stir with the Highlanders training kit colour, which the fans believe is blue but is actually mint green. We love this debate. The rivalry of these two clubs is real and long may it continue,” he said.
“Our customised kit designs are second to none and we pride ourselves in our ability to bring out each club’s ethos, culture and traditions through the kit they will wear. If you look good, you’ll feel good “We are in negotiations with several other big clubs in the country and hope to announce new deals in the coming months. “Regionally, we are also talking to various clubs and we will tie one or two up in the New Year.”
Chiveso also made known the company’s ultimate dream for the Looks brand going forward.
“We believe in organic growth. “We are careful in selecting the partners we choose to work with. “We believe in managed growth. “While our starting point has been in football with the launch of these two clubs, we are actually very strong with our athleisure wear as a brand.
“We are working on bringing this side of our business through a reputable and top-end partner. “You can look forward to interesting designs of hoodies, jackets, tracksuits, golf shirts, T-shirts, gym wear etc within six months.
“We plan to have Looks sportswear-franchised shops or exclusive supply agreements across the continent in the next three to five years,” he said.
Looks was established in 1976 in London, England, and is not a new brand to the world of sportswear.
It has a factory in China and has a reputable footprint in the Asian market and Europe.
