Since LANX’s inception, rugby has been at the centre of our culture and partnerships. We have ongoing relationships with Wigan Warriors, the Welsh Rugby Union, Leicester Tigers, Sale Sharks, Gloucester Rugby and new partners Harlequins, we are proud to live and breathe the sport.
2025 is set to be a year of massive growth within the sport with the men’s 6 Nations kicking off in January, the women’s 6 Nations in March, men’s British & Irish Lions tour to Australia in June, Women’s Rugby World Cup in August and the local competitions throughout the year all stepping up to give us an entertaining season.
To celebrate the sport and the culture of rugby we have worked hard to bring you some new and exciting collaborative products.
Firstly, we have created a selection of vintage rugby jerseys, in collaboration with Jim’s Jerseys, all named after historic North West homes of rugby. Jim’s Jerseys was founded by Harry Blackwell in 2021 when a fellow Sheffield University alum inspired him to create a brand that focused on the production of vintage rugby jerseys. After selling over 10,000 shirts the brand has brought together clubs, teams and communities.
We are happy to launch the ‘LIGHTFOOT, ‘RAMSGREAVE’ and ‘HEYWOOD’ jerseys. All are made in Staffordshire by a third-generation family run factory who historically specialise in sporting apparel. The rugby shirts are made from 330gsm Polycotton with a cotton drill collar and placket, all adorned with our LANX logo and Lancashire Rose embroidered onto the chest.
We are proud to have the Lancashire Rose front and centre on these new products as we do with all of our footwear. Now, you may recognise the rose from somewhere else within the sporting world but with a skip in our step and a wink of an eye, we can confirm that we have only been influenced by our Lancashire emblem.
Secondly, we have worked closely with a brand who are synonymous with the sport of rugby, Gilbert.
According to the legend, the sport of rugby was born in 1823 when schoolboy William Webb Ellis took a football in his arms and ran with it. The ball in question was a Gilbert one - made by William Gilbert.
Before we started work on this collaboration we (or I) didn’t know that William Gilbert was part of a renowned family of Cordwainers. Cordwainers are the people who manufacture shoes rather than the more commonly known ‘Cobbler’ who specifically repairs shoes. Our cultural link to footwear and leather really got us very excited about the prospect of working together.
We decided to create a very classic, distinguishable design for this collaboration and worked with the quintessential Gilbert ellipses in LANX colours. To make sure you know that we have had our touch on the product we have included our LANX logo, ballsy White Bull and the Lancashire Rose. The style of the ball is a Size 5 Replica Ball with Gilbert’s trademark pimple grip. To show our appreciation and understanding of their history and heritage we have named the collaborative product ‘Webb Ellis’ after none other than the founder of the sport.
LANX is proud to work within the sport of rugby with our current and possible future partners and so to celebrate we are offering you a slice of fun in the shape of rugby jerseys made in Staffordshire in collaboration with Jim’s Jerseys and rugby balls in collaboration with Gilbert. Get 6 Nations ready!
