An Edinburgh football fashion brand has reshaped its strategy heading into its busiest trading period since launching after Business Gateway support.
Universal Language, founded by school friends Christie Aitchison and Pete Burt, produces fan-focused clothing inspired by Scottish football culture.
The brand launched in December 2024 and has since built a following of more than 3,000 customers, selling 5,000 products and generating 1.5 million monthly social media views.
Aitchison brings commercial and marketing experience from running his own agency, while Burt spent more than eight years as a designer in professional football, working for Hibernian and Tottenham Hotspur before returning to Edinburgh.
The idea began when Aitchison struggled to find a suitable football gift for his father, a Hearts fan, and could not find memorabilia that captured the club’s culture.
He brought the concept to Burt, and the pair built a brand designed to celebrate club identity rather than simply reproduce a badge.
All products are designed in Edinburgh and printed or embroidered in the UK using sustainably produced garments.
Current collections focus on Hearts, Hibernian and an expanding Scotland national team range, with the brand recently opening a pop-up shop to coincide with the World Cup.
Christie Aitchison, co-founder of Universal Language said: “The support from Business Gateway came at exactly the right time. Sitting down and properly reviewing the strategy gave us a solid foundation and the confidence to continue growing the business, knowing we are headed in the right direction.
“The IP guidance has been equally important. As the brand grows, protecting what we’ve created matters more and more. We’re genuinely grateful for the help getting that right.”
Universal Language has also raised more than £2,500 for charity partner MND Scotland through sales of a t-shirt honouring former Hearts captain Marius Zaliukas, who died in 2020 aged 36 after battling motor neurone disease.
The Edinburgh Business Gateway team worked with Aitchison and Burt to restructure the business, reviewing its brand communication strategy. Support was extended to include specialist intellectual property guidance, with a session involving the Intellectual Property Office helping the founders trademark the brand and copyright its designs. Pitch preparation sessions followed, along with a series of Business Gateway workshops.
Julie Batten, Business Gateway adviser, said: “Universal Language is a strong example of what happens when a genuine idea is backed by sound business thinking.
“Christie and Pete came to us with real momentum and connection to their audience. Our role was to help them build the right structure around it, from strategy to brand protection, so the business can grow on solid ground.”
