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"Form is temporary, class is permanent": How Modest Vintage Player subverted the athletics segment with valuable leather sporting gear.

Modest Vintage Player's athleisure and sporting gear.

Against mass production, in favor of exclusivity.

In the history of sports, longevity has always been a must. Punching bags, headgear, and gloves are just a few items that are designed to endure, regardless of any impact they might suffer.

METCHA - Modest Vintage Player - Josh Carmody - a man hitting a punching bag with leather gloves by Modest Vintage Player

Well, Auckland's Modest Vintage Player took this core to embrace a mission to bring class back to sports by choosing leather craftsmanship over mass production.

Having attracted Jason Momoa to buy selected & high-end training gear for Aquaman 2 and also helped to build the real boxing lifestyle in Riverdale Season 3, MVP takes identity as a strong source of creativity.

"My idols were always sports stars growing up, and my most prized possessions were always my sports equipment which I would obsess over, be it a new cricket bat, football, or boots."

The rising brand's CEO and Creative Director Josh Carmody found on the finest materials a way to shape his brand towards the most authentic sporting goods.

"Naturally, leather was a huge part of the equipment used in these old school sports eras, which is the dominant material used with our products. Sourcing the best quality leather hides and finding the right factories to partner with was a costly process, but we have established some really strong partnerships in this space."

METCHA - Modest Vintage Player - Josh Carmody - a man on his car with leather sporting gear by Modest Vintage Player

METCHA - Modest Vintage Player - Josh Carmody - a car with white leather gloves on the steering wheel

Since 2014, MVP has also collaborated with renowned brands, such as Aimé Leon Dore, and designed the gloves for the Porsche collab with the NYC label.

The classic look crafted to astound is the result of extensive research and solid visual references gathered over the years.

"Each of our leather items is meticulously handcrafted by 3rd generation artisans with quality & functionality in mind."

And here's how, with total excitement to reveal what's behind MVP, Josh reflected on his creative choices with us.

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METCHA - Modest Vintage Player - Josh Carmody - a man playing golf with leather sporting gears by Modest Vintage Player

How did the idea of creating such a brand come about?

I have always loved sports since I can remember, growing up with an older brother our days and nights were spent in the backyard dueling out a game of football, cricket, rugby, or playing catch ending only when dinner was called or one of us were in tears over a disagreement!

I had a great hunger to create something unique, something aligned with my passion for sports, history & culture.

"I came up with the MVP brand concept – a sporting goods brand to celebrate the players, equipment & culture of by-gone eras, from the '60s to the '90s. I am constantly inspired by the old school athletes who played purely for the love of the game."

I get a real buzz re-living archived video footage of the big stars like Michael Jordan, Maradona, Tiger Woods, and Muhammad Ali in their prime – from their swag, outfits & of course the equipment they were using.

METCHA - Modest Vintage Player - Josh Carmody - leather gloves by Modest Vintage Player

How do you do this creative research, bringing current references and aesthetics within the leather universe to so many different sports and places?

Our understated and casual gear reflect our attitude toward life & how athletes used to go about their business.

"We tend to favor neutral leather Pantones with clean colorways & simple natural logo deboss which is very much against the grain with today's more flashy designs and company logos."

METCHA - Modest Vintage Player - Josh Carmody - leather football by Modest Vintage Player

When working on a special project, this is where we can be more creative and experimental, evident in our recent collaboration with artist Kehinde Wiley, in wich we created a full-color leather basketball in the same design as one of his most celebrated paintings.

"There is no real limit on what we can achieve in the sporting goods space, which is why we get so excited when we get approached with cool projects."

Is there a difference in how you design, treat, and think about leather for each sport, for example?

There is definitely a lot to consider when producing leather products for each sport - for each of our product niches, we will use specific cuts of leather, different gauges, regarding the thickness and also different types of material, from cowhide to buffalo.

"Each leather has certain properties which suit different products. Most of our products are made with full-grain cowhide leather as this type offers strength, durability, and workability for most products."

But for example, our Golf Gloves are made with a high quality sheep leather which has a beautiful soft texture and provides enhanced grip for the golf club, and our balls are made from a special bison hide which provides a rugged and authentic look & feel. Our product development team is constantly experimenting with different types of material and tanning techniques to offer something unique.

METCHA - Modest Vintage Player - Josh Carmody - leather gloves for golf by Modest Vintage Player

What Modest Vintage Player plans for the future?

The future for MVP is exciting, we have just signed an official licensing agreement with arguably the world's biggest sporting club which we hope will get us in front of a massive global audience – expected to be announced between June and July 2022.

We are also looking to delve into clothing offerings. Simple, clean high-quality staples after the hugely successful launch of our first range which sold out in a matter of days.

Lastly, we would love to open up a flagship retail store where we can really engage with our MVP fans, and where our products can be touched, used – and smelled.