Students and fans of the University of Connecticut now have a new, convenient spot to purchase a variety of Husky-themed clothing and accessories with the opening of Homefield Apparel, located next to the Ballard Museum.
Homefield sells what it describes as “unique, premium collegiate apparel” with an emphasis on high-quality materials and thoughtful designs, ranging from tees and jackets to hats.
“Most collegiate apparel brands, they’ll go make a template across hundreds of schools,” Connor Hitchcock, co-founder and CEO of Homefield, said at the store’s grand opening. “When you check out our collection, you’ll see different pieces that are unique, and made specifically for UConn.”
A number of items will be staggered to coincide with sports seasons and apparel trends, including collections focused on football iconography like the brand’s “bomber-style” jackets. Many of the designs for sale at the new location bear the likeness of vintage Jonathan the Husky logos, which many remember was replaced in 2013 by the current geometric husky dog design.
Some of the items include a picture of the earliest-known Jonathan the Husky logo from 1959, dubbed “Sad Jonathan” or the “Ennui Husky.” The apparel bearing that early logo, which has become an iconic meme amongst Husky fans thanks to the drawing’s almost-bored expression, is reportedly one of the brand’s consistently-selling designs.
“We want every single store to reflect the individual community that it’s in,” said Michelle Bromley, the UConn Homefield manager.
Other items reference the UConn Dairy Bar, Connecticut’s status as the “Basketball Capital of the World” and its pizza prowess, plus the “Husky Slide,” a long-banned (but well-remembered) maneuver performed by the costumed Jonathan at basketball games.
Bromley said that their women’s apparel line is exclusive to the in-person Homefield stores through a collaboration with athleisure and activewear brand Gold Hinge.
“We had a quarter-zip fleece in the Gold Hinge line, which has definitely been huge,” she said. “We sold out in two days. . . folks see people wearing it, and they’re like, ‘where’d you get that?'”
Another unique aspect of Homefield’s aesthetic is the presentation of vintage UConn memorabilia, on loan from the Husky Heritage Sports Museum at the UConn Alumni Center. Authentic football helmets, signed basketballs, trophies and team photos line the store’s walls — and visitors can sit in real chairs from a number of Final Four games.
“In Connecticut, UConn is the one thing that we can all agree on for sports,” Bromley said. “We have some more items coming in, like murals and artwork, but we wanted to make sure we could open in time.”
The location formerly housed a Webster Bank branch location, which closed in 2020; conversion of the space occurred over the summer in preparation for the fall sports season.
To celebrate the opening of the new storefront, Homefield hosted a T-shirt giveaway and the Dairy Bar On Wheels truck on Sept. 25 for a ribbon-cutting and grand opening celebration. Jonathan XV and UConn men’s basketball star Braylon Mullins also made appearances, signing autographs and promoting the apparel line.
While Homefield has been an apparel partner with UConn since 2021, their product range was only for sale online or in smaller quantities at the UConn Bookstore amidst other licensed items. The storefront is just the company’s third, with the others at the Universities of Indiana and Oklahoma.
The business was founded in 2018 by Hitchcock and his wife when they were both students at Indiana University. The brand now works with over 200 colleges to sell apparel and accessories.
Online listings for Homefield’s UConn apparel collections can be found online at https://www.homefieldapparel.com/collections/uconn-huskies-store. The in-person storefront is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. from Monday to Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sundays. Store hours may also vary on game days.