Interview: The QPR Shirt Collector | Shirt Collector & Kit Community Creative | QPR Fan.
Meet The QPR Shirt Collector, who has become a massive part of the football shirt community. He showcases his growing shirt collection on Instagram (@theqprshirtcollector), so make sure you check him out to see his journey. We thought it was time to have a catchup with him and learn a bit more about his very impressive collection.
What do football shirts mean to you?
They mean absolutely everything to me. I've got the bug for collecting shirts! The most important thing to me is the memories that they bring. It doesn't have to be the best looking shirt, but a shirt that you can look at and remember that goal or that day out. A prime example is when you look at the QPR 1996/97 shirt - you think of Trevor Sinclair's overhead kick. Any early 90s shirts you think of Les Ferdinand. 2010/11 is Adel Taarabt. And that opens up conversations with people. It brings togetherness and memories, and that takes you to a wonderful place. All from a shirt.
📸 2000/01 Queens Park Rangers Away Shirt | Le Coq Sportif
What is it that makes a football shirt so special?
Designs and memories make shirts special. Early 90s shirts where we had the badge imprinted across the shirts were the best for me. The sponsor can also make or break a shirt!
Do you remember your first shirt?
My first shirt was the 1995/96 QPR home shirt. Centralised badge, blue and white hoops, circular neck. And ever since that shirt, it has been an endless love story for both QPR and football shirts alike.
What is your favourite era of shirts?
It's a tough choice between the 1990s and early 2000s eras, just based on the quality of shirts. They all just had a personal touch. The sponsors were better, the templates were incredible. They just don't make shirts like that anymore. And it was also one of the best times for supporting QPR. And not just QPR! I mean, just look at those 90s Dortmund shirts. They were iconic eras for shirts and I can't see it being beaten.
📸 1996/97 Karlsruher SC Away Shirt | Adidas
How many shirts do you have in your collection?
I currently have 181 shirts and 106 of them are QPR shirts. My aim is to collect every outfield QPR shirt since the 1990/91 season, but I'm now also getting the bug for goalkeeper shirts and old training gear too.
My standout shirts would have to be my 1985/86 QPR home shirt and my 1982 QPR original FA Cup final shirt. And in terms of non-QPR shirts, I love my European shirts too. My favourites have got to be my 1995/96 PSV Home shirt and my 1996/97 1860 Munich Home shirt.
📸 1994/95 Sampdoria Third Shirt | Asics