Ryan Vesler has been obsessed with vintage sports apparel since childhood.
His collection started with classic Air Jordan sneakers and Bo Jackson’s Nike merchandise. In college, he earned extra cash by scouring local thrift shops for vintage items to sell on eBay. And in 2007, his obsession inspired him to launch Homage, a Columbus, Ohio-based sports and pop culture apparel brand that brought in more than $50 million in 2024 revenue, according to documents reviewed by CNBC Make It.
Homage’s apparel bears retro graphics with a vintage aesthetic, including throwbacks featuring classic sports team logos and legendary athletes from various eras. LeBron James helped popularize the brand by rocking one of its shirts, featuring 80′s wrestler The Ultimate Warrior, after the Cleveland Cavaliers won the 2016 NBA Championship.
“LeBron wore our stuff. That was a ‘pinch me’ moment and a major brand moment at the same time ... because he’s very deliberate about what brand he wears,” says Vesler, the company’s 42-year-old CEO, who launched Homage from his parents’ Ohio basement with a combination of eBay earnings and a few maxed-out credit cards.
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