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Wales Online
Wales Online
Sport
Corrie David

Man designs Arabic 'I am Welsh not English' football merch perfect for World Cup

A man has designed a range of t-shirts perfect for Welsh fans gearing up for the 2022 World Cup. Following Wales' qualification for the event on Sunday, June 5, Rhydian Cole, owner of Turf Clothing, was inspired to create a new line for fans.

An avid football fan himself, graphic designer Rhydian quickly got his designs together after being inspired to do so by his friends. The Bridgend designer explained: "I was thinking about doing some Welsh stuff before, whether they lost or if they won, then I spoke to [my friend] Owen and he said 'Why don't you call it Qymru, Cymru and Qatar? So that's what I've done."

"Obviously with the fact that they've won now, I thought I'm going to jump on it straight away, so I set myself a target of getting x amount done this week. Hopefully I'll be able to get some more finished tonight and I'll get my 20 done this week."

Read next: Ashley Williams and Danny Gabbidon wear Welsh bucket hats on live TV just moments after Wales secure World Cup place

The 'I'm Welsh Not English' shirt from the Qymru range (Turf Clothing)
The Yma O Hyd shirt inspired by Dafydd Iwan (Turf Clothing)
Rhydian hopes to launch sweatshirts, sliders and towels as the World Cup approaches (Turf Clothing)

As well as T-shirts, Rhydian hopes to eventually expand his range to suit both travelling fans heading to warmer weather, and a winter range for home supporters. He hopes to include crewneck jumpers, towels, and sliders within this range.

One shirt, in particular, should prove popular with travelling fans, it reads "I'm Welsh not English" in Arabic. The 41-year-old designer explained: "Someone gave me the idea, they tweeted me 'Why don't you do one like that?'" He had also had success with a similar design over lockdown that reads 'Wales isn't England' highlighting the devolved powers of the nation.

Other notable shirts include an 'Yma O Hyd' T-Shirt marking the rise in popularity of the Dafydd Iwan's anthem that has recently hit Number 1 in the iTunes Chart. Rhydian hopes his shirts, that are made to order in an effort to remain as environmentally friendly as possible, will give football fans an alternative outfit option as the World Cup 2022 approaches. As for Rhydian, he will be one of the fans supporting from home in the winter collection with his wife and two children.

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