There's probably no brand in the world of kit production that's as divisive as Castore these days.
The brand's rapid growth has disrupted the industry, that's for sure. But Castore has picked up it's fair share of detractors along though way. 2023 has seen the brand expand its footprint in Ireland. Castore will make the kit for the Ireland football team for the next five years and last week, Castore unveiled their new Leinster jersey. While many were fearful in build-up, the actual shirt was quite nice once it was finally released to the public.
The brand does have a tendency for clangers - see Katie McCabe's training top for the France friendly - and there was a big facepalm moment today from Castore in relation to the Leinster kit.
Images of the new jersey with a fifth star above the Leinster crest appeared in promo material that featured on the Elverys instagram account.
This is a star too many: Leinster famously only have won the European Cup four times. Last season, Leinster were determined to earn a fifth star on their jersey, and it was looking likely after a blistering start against La Rochelle in the Champions Cup final last May.
However, as we all know, Leinster lost the game in heartbreaking fashion and their match day jersey will only feature four stars in the 2023-24 season.
'Five-star' Leinster
While it's standard practice to produce a jersey with an extra star ahead of a new season should a club actually win silverware, it's unfortunate that photos of it would ever be released to a retailer.
The now-deleted post featured a photo collage with Josh van der Flier and Garry Ringrose wearing the four-star jersey.
In May, Castore co-founder Tom Beahon told the Athletic that the company is judged by a 'higher standard' because they're the 'new guy':
“We just get judged by a slightly different and higher standard because we’re the new guy who’s burst onto the scene and partnered with some big, high-profile clubs. It almost feels like some people are looking to say, ‘We knew those guys were too good to be true and what they were doing wasn’t sustainable’, so every time there’s a minor issue people like to put down the disruptor rather than encourage you. I don’t think that’s unique to Castore or the sportswear market; it’s just one of the crosses you have to bear as the new guy.“There have been issues, of course. We delivered north of five million units last year and are delivering north of 12 million units this year — at that scale, you’ll always have one or two' per cent of issues due to human error. That’s true of every brand in this market. It just seems to get picked up with us more than with other brands.
