Welcome to the next instalment of KitLegit’s Collectors Series Blog, where we celebrate the collectors who turn fabric into memories. Today we’re in Manchester with Jay Tomlins – Chelsea diehard, football content creator, and the man behind the brilliant YouTube channel @jaytomlinsfc and Instagram @jaytomlins. With around 40-50 shirts in his collection, Jay doesn’t chase numbers; he chases stories. And trust us, he has some incredible ones.

One Italian Shirt Changed Everything

It all started on a college exchange trip to Italy. “I wanted a better souvenir than a fridge magnet,” Jay laughs. In a sports shop he picked up the 2012 Italy home shirt and instantly fell in love with the feeling of owning a proper football kit. From that moment, every trip became an excuse to hunt for a new shirt – even when he was a broke student on a shoestring budget. That single purchase in Italy lit a spark that still burns bright today.

Two Kits That Stop the Show

Ask Jay for his favourite shirt and he winces – “It’s like asking who’s your favourite child!” In the end he surrenders and names two late-90s masterpieces: the 1997-98 Chelsea home (“in my opinion the best ever Chelsea shirt – I’m so blessed to own it”) and the stunning 1997-98 Hertha Berlin home with its flawless stripes, Adidas template, classic badge and polo collar (“one of the best-looking kits in the world and exactly my taste”). Late-90s perfection, basically.

A Finnish Legend and the Rarest Shirt in the Collection

Jay’s most unforgettable moment came far away from eBay or Vinted. He flew to Estonia to interview Ajax and Liverpool legend Jari Litmanen for a video series about Litmanen’s personal swapped-shirt collection. At the end of the shoot, the Finnish icon did something extraordinary: he gifted Jay a Reipas Lahti 125th anniversary shirt from his very first club – personally signed with the message:

“To Jay, thanks a lot, really nice meeting you. Great time together.”

“That has to be one of the best and most rare shirts in my collection,” Jay says, still buzzing years later. “Still one of the best experiences of my life.”

Chelsea, Italy, and Everything In Between

Jay’s collection naturally revolves around two big loves: Chelsea (obviously 💙) and Italian football – both the national team and clubs. But because it all started with travel souvenirs, almost every shirt comes with its own little story attached, whether it’s an impulse buy on a city break, a charity-shop gem, or a triumphant late-night Vinted scroll.

The Hunt, the Cost, and the KitLegit Lifeline

Jay sources his shirts the way most of us do: eBay, Vinted, charity shops, and trusted independent sellers. Authentication? “KitLegit of course 😉” – especially now that fakes are scarily good. Having worked for a football shirt company in the past, he knows the classic red flags, but even he trusts KitLegit as the final word.

The biggest challenge these days? Price. “Shirts are so expensive now, even new ones. I’ve had to slow down collecting because of how much it costs.”

Storage: A Work in Progress

Living in a Manchester flat means space is tight. “I’m bad at this, I can’t lie,” Jay admits. The absolute gems hang in the wardrobe, the decent ones are rolled in a drawer, and the rest live in a box under the bed. One day, when he finally gets a house, every shirt will have its proper place on a rail.

Jay’s Golden Rule for New Collectors

“Follow what you love. Most kits in my collection I can grab and have some sort of story or memory attached to it – that gives the collection more meaning. If you collect just for collecting’s sake, you’ll end up with a lot of shirts that only have monetary worth to you – and that’s no fun.”

More Than Just Shirts

Jay Tomlins proves that the magic isn’t in owning 500 shirts – it’s in the stories stitched into every single one. From a random sports shop in Italy to shaking hands with Jari Litmanen in Estonia, his 40-50 shirts pack more emotion than collections ten times the size.

Follow his adventures on
YouTube: @jaytomlinsfc
Instagram: @jaytomlins
X: @JayTomlinsFC

And keep an eye out – we have a feeling this Chelsea fan’s collection (and content) is only going to get better.

Want your story featured next? Drop us a DM! And if you’re hunting authentic kits or need something verified, head over to KitLegit. Share your favourite travel-shirt memory in the comments – we’re reading every single one! ⚽💙