On the surface, Sohail Rashid's story could be taken as a simple case of 'local lad done good' but as he freely admits - it has been something of a ride.
The 36-year-old Liversedge man is now collaborating with his boyhood club Leeds United and his clothing brand has been worn by some of the worlds biggest sporting stars. Way back in 1999, Sohail was employed in the club shop at Elland Road himself while he studied at Leeds Metropolitan University.
But it was not until he was made redundant from his 19 year career as a mortgage advisor, post-pandemic in 2021, that Sohail made a move into the world of clothing brands. Despite admitting he has 'never been the most fashionable', Sohail has quickly amassed a celebrity following and has seen his brand go from strength-to-strength.
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Speaking to Leeds Live, Sohail said: "I worked for HSBC for 19 years, I was a mortgage advisor there and a manager for a long time. When Covid came around all of that changed and I was made redundant.
"I'd never really thought about doing something on the side before but that really gave me a push to explore what I could do. I wouldn't say I've ever been the most fashionable guy but I had this thing in my head about starting a clothing line so I did a bit of research and decided to give it a go."
Sohail named his brand Aime Dieu, which means 'love God' in French, and designed unisex clothing in a wide range of colours and sizes. He said the idea for the name had come after seeing captions from football players on social media all saying similar things in different languages.
Sohail wanted his brand to be conscious and community focused as well as easy on the eye and had committed to a 'pass it forward' approach. So with every item purchased he donates a pair of socks to the Centrepoint homeless charity.
After launching in 2021, the brand caught the eye of former Leeds United star Raphinha who asked to try out the range and posted pictures of himself wearing the brand on his story. The rest, you might be tempted to say, is history - or as Sohail would tell you, it was a lot of hard work and pressing home his initial success.
In March last year, he saw his hard work come to fruition as he was offered the chance at an official collaboration with his boyhood club. Sohail said: "I had a meeting with the Leeds chairman last year because he'd become aware of the brand, seen some of the players wearing it and he knew I was local.
"I'd always wanted to work with the club, there was no one else I'd have collaborated with so it was great to be given the opportunity. I created a range exclusive to the Leeds United club shop and we committed to continuing the ‘pay it forward’ movement to help and support the local community.
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"What we do is simple in that we work with really high quality materials but look to offer it at an affordable price. The material we use is very, very good, another piece of clothing made with that would be going for over £100.
"I didn't want that, I wanted to bring that price down so we retail nearer to £50 which means the man on the street can afford it the same as the high profile customers. We filled a gap in the market for hoodies, t-shirts and joggers and it has been really popular."
Now with a huge customer base in the US and regular shout-outs from global names like Roberto Carlo, Iker Casillas and Maxwell Cornet, Sohail has certainly made a success of his redundancy side-hustle. It has been quite the journey for the Leeds local who first proposed a collaboration with his hometown club in 1995.
He said: "I found a letter recently that I'd written to the club about doing some community focused work back in 1995. To then have been working at the club shop in 1999 when we were in the Champions League, everything that has happened in between and now to be collaborating with them, its a lot when you look at it like that."
You can find out more about Aime Dieu on the website here, and keep your eyes peeled on their social media for an exclusive discount for Leeds Live readers.
