Footballer's spouse making £180 a pop in fashion business from Nantwich home
By Ryan Parker 21st Feb 2025
A footballer's wife in Nantwich runs a business turning people's own football shirts into puffer jackets, for £180 a pop.
Julie Herman, 30, is the wife of League One club Shrewsbury Town's midfielder, Funso Ojo, 33.
She says being a footballer's wife often means moving at short notice, so she wanted to run a business allowing for flexibility.
She launched a fashion business, Rose Ojo, in August 2024, which sees her convert customers' old football shirts into puffer vests for them.
The hustle sees her bring in £180 per jacket and she says each takes around two days each to make.
Julie is kept busy by her current incoming orders, but says people are "still getting to hear of the brand" and hopes to expand further.
A fashion graduate, from Antwerp, Belgium, Julie is now based in Nantwich. She said: "I always wanted to work, but it's difficult when you have to move around.
"I was always thinking about something I could do from home.
"I am passionate about it as well, so I always wanted to do something with upcycling."
Julie moved to the UK in 2019, a year after Funso did, and the midfielder has spent 10 seasons playing for the likes of Scunthorpe, Aberdeen, Wigan, Port Vale and now Shrewsbury.
Her inspiration for her puffer jackets initially came from the NFL, where Kristin Juszczyk, wife of San Francisco 49ers player Kyle, made her own personalised jacket from one of her husband's shirts.
She said: "I saw it in the NFL and thought it was really cool so wanted to try it.
"I wore it to a Port Vale game and got loads of compliments, people were asking where I got it from and so we decided to make a business out of upcycling shirts."
Julie initially used old shirts from her husband's career - which were lying around the house - and upcycled them into brand new puffer vests, separating the front and the back of the shirt and using the sleeves for the collar.
She says she has always been creative, but is now loving combining that with her passion for the environment and recycling.
She said: "I always had creativity in me from a young age, but I didn't know I had that passion.
"I don't want it to be [made] in factories. I just want to upcycle it myself.
"I know that it's quality and that it will be something that the customers can wear for years. That is really important to me."
She also envisages Rose Ojo having a life well beyond her husband's footballing career, with plans to move back to their native Belgium, as well as widening the range of items they produce.
She added: "I am looking to expand into more items, not only puffer vests but also accessories or bags."
READ MORE: What's on in Nantwich this weekend: Artisan Market and Walking Tour.
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