Scouting Report: Shopping for Merch on Etsy
7 years ago
One of the biggest pieces of being a fan of something is means of demonstrating fandom. For Leafs fans it means sifting through tons of shirts in varying shades of blue. No seriously, what are the brand standards here? I see everything from navy to sky blue for official merchandise and something that supremely irks me is when the blues don’t match. You want us to bleed blue but please decide which tone it is.
If you’re looking for something more offbeat from the usual NHL store offerings – I highly recommend diving into Etsy.
Etsy originally started out as a site for people to sell their crafts and other custom work but has since evolved to a place where secondhand garments and other vintage goodies can be unearthed. It can be a lot to wade through but it can be much better than the vastness of eBay. Once upon a time, I found a super rad Wendel Clark shirt on Etsy. We’re talking full on glorious 90s styling with neon accents. You also find stuff like this.
The “official” status of this tank top is up for debate but it definitely has some style. This shirt should probably be on sale since Phil has been gone for the roster for just over a year now but I can remember his glory with this really rad top.
I also stumbled upon this supremely excellent sweatshirt. This shirt says TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS four times. Just in case anyone questions which team is yours.
Few things aptly sum up the perils of being a Leafs fan than Looney Toons. Just a tiny part of me was wounded by the product description calling things from the 1980s “vintage.” This begs the question as to which Toon would be best in goal.
If you’re looking for something to wear for a Throwback Thursday then this Tie Domi shirt is just for you. Again, what is Maple Leaf blue? This is navy. Count all the Leafs on the shirt. This is on some Marc by Marc Jacobs level of credits.
This one just seems like confused logo design. At a quick glance in thumbnail form, I thought it was a fusion of the old Canucks logo with some Oilers tossed in. Again, brand standards darling. Do you have them?
I keep clinging to the hope and dream that in this 90s fashion revival we’ll see Starter jackets again and I can finally own one. Instead, there’s this version that looks like it was designed in Powerpoint by a 4th grader who thought all the animation effects added so much to the report. Something is just missing here. Like I dunno, a giant logo maybe????
Oh and here’s the front and I should be critical of this model but I am weirdly into how detached they look and I am mad at myself for it.
I’ve only gone through about a third of the offerings and I had to stop. I did it. I found the greatest Maple Leafs shirt ever. We will never design something better than this beauty.
Stay tuned for another Scouting Report where we’ll look through merchandise for players traded away and how much their stuff has been marked down.
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