Homefield Apparel built its brand on a losing Indiana program. Now they're both all the rage

Connor and Christa Hitchcock are the husband-and-wife founders of Homefield Attire, the little engine turned juggernaut of faculty sports activities merchandising. It began a decade in the past as a aspect hustle out of Connor’s Indiana College house, rooted in a wierd love for IU soccer. Now headquartered in Indianapolis, the place the Hitchcocks stay, Homefield sells formally licensed merchandise for greater than 200 universities, endearing itself to the parochial, totally immersed tradition of faculty fandom with classic logos and distinctive designs. “The Good Model,” because it’s identified amongst OG patrons.

After which there’s Indiana soccer. The similarities, stunning as they is perhaps, are usually not misplaced on the couple. A pair of inconceivable, Hoosier-state Cinderella tales, ascending in tandem.

“I by no means thought I might see this response to Indiana soccer,” mentioned Connor. “I all the time felt like I used to be a part of this secret membership as a result of I preferred Indiana soccer greater than Indiana basketball. In order that’s been actually particular.”

It brings the corporate and its favourite staff to Monday’s faculty soccer nationwide championship recreation in Miami, the place Indiana — which till very just lately was the losingest program in faculty soccer historical past — is the heavy favourite to win its first title towards the hometown Miami Hurricanes.

“It’s simply … unbelievable,” mentioned Christa.

Homefield Attire formally launched over Labor Day weekend 2018, however its origins had been an organization referred to as Hoosier Proud, which Connor created as a enterprise main at Indiana just a few years earlier. What began with state-pride stickers and different merch advanced into Homefield due to the 2015 Pinstripe Bowl. Indiana misplaced in time beyond regulation on a controversial missed area purpose; Connor channeled his ache into T-shirts that learn “The kick was good.”

The corporate step by step expanded past Indiana shirts and the confines of Connor’s house, including attire and designs for an increasing number of colleges. Homefield went from lower than $1,000 in its checking account in 2019 to greater than 30 workers as we speak. However Indiana soccer has all the time been the bedrock of the model’s identification, notably on social media. Whether or not it was leaning into the #9WINDIANA hashtag (and merch) throughout a stunning 2019 season or the same old self-effacement that comes with rooting for the Hoosiers, that authenticity constructed a loyal following amongst faculty soccer diehards.

“If we got here out as Michigan followers on the (Homefield) Twitter account, we might have by no means constructed that form of following,” mentioned Christa. “However it was deprecating to be an Indiana soccer fan. It was charming.”

She is aware of of what she speaks. Christa grew up a Michigan fan in metro Detroit; her dad performed quarterback for the Wolverines. She didn’t attend Indiana, however she and Connor dated all by way of faculty, and his love of the Hoosiers turned her love of the Hoosiers. (And now their 2-year-old son Jude’s love of the Hoosiers.) Connor remembers Indiana’s late collapse within the Gator Bowl to finish the 2019 season — one victory shy of #9WINDIANA glory — as tears streamed down Christa’s face.

“I’m like, What have I carried out? She was a Michigan fan, dude, and he or she traded it for Indiana,” mentioned Connor. “I felt like an terrible particular person in that second.”

However as Indiana made its inconceivable climb from perennial backside feeder to nationwide title contender — “Rags to Roses” because the latest Rose Bowl merch put it — that zeal paid off.

RAGS TO ROSES

INDIANA ROSE BOWL CHAMP MERCH IS HERE 🌹https://t.co/FyTgF7fyTC pic.twitter.com/pUxz0cAJOe

— Homefield (@HomefieldApparl) January 2, 2026

Whilst Homefield continued to develop, its persona stayed tethered to the Hoosiers, tapping right into a long-dormant fan base that rattled to life underneath head coach Curt Cignetti. Indiana has all the time been Homefield’s top-selling faculty by a substantial margin. However in 2024, throughout an out-of-nowhere run to the School Soccer Playoff in Cignetti’s first season, the corporate’s IU merchandise gross sales had been double the yr prior. In 2025, additional bolstered by healthful, Heisman-winning quarterback Fernando Mendoza and an undefeated Massive Ten championship, IU gross sales had been 2.5-times greater than these 2024 will increase. Indiana followers are all of a sudden in every single place — lots of them sporting Homefield gear.

“I might all the time inform folks, yeah, we’re horrible at soccer, however I don’t assume you perceive how huge this alumni base is,” mentioned Connor. “Folks have been hungry right here for thus lengthy for one thing, something.”

The previous two seasons have delivered, this one specifically, with IU claiming this system’s first Massive Ten championship since 1967 with a win over Ohio State in Indianapolis. Then the No. 1 seed within the 12-team Playoff, with blowout wins over Alabama within the Rose Bowl, Oregon within the Peach Bowl, and the staff’s first nationwide championship look. Homefield dropped new merch each step of the way in which.

The corporate is sending 9 workers to South Seashore for the sport and is internet hosting a handful of branded pop-up occasions, together with sponsoring Indiana’s alumni affiliation gathering. It additionally has championship attire able to launch on the last whistle. Even when Miami wins.

“We do have plenty of Miami stuff able to go. And it seems to be nice,” mentioned Connor, who might be at Onerous Rock Stadium with Christa for Monday’s recreation. “However that might be unhappy. Folks might be roasting us within the feedback.”

He admits they’ve much more designs if the Hoosiers end this dream run, together with a small batch of early prints that might be on sale Tuesday morning at Homefield’s first brick-and-mortar retailer, which opened in August in Bloomington. Christa, who handles plenty of the design work, teased one with Indiana’s revived bison mascot — a Homefield favourite — and a crown.

“There’s form of no restrict to what we might do. We might in all probability do three months of merchandise launches,” mentioned Connor, who suspects {that a} week’s value of Indiana championship gross sales might practically match the 2025 totals. “Indiana profitable might be, could be, essentially the most consequential occasion that has ever occurred to this firm.”

But the Hitchcocks stay extra dumbstruck by what has occurred on the sector than to their very own enterprise portfolio. Connor rattles off the likes of Antwaan Randle El, Terry Hoeppner, Michael Penix Jr., and the shortlist of vibrant spots throughout his in any other case bleak life as an IU soccer fan. One preceded by many years upon many years of comparable despair.

“It made no sense for me to like Indiana soccer. It gave you nothing,” mentioned Connor, who had but to expertise a Hoosiers bowl victory in his 31 years on this earth previous to the Rose Bowl win over Alabama.

Now IU has an opportunity to go 16-0 and punctuate essentially the most gorgeous turnaround the game has ever seen. Perhaps that any sport has ever seen.

The Hitchcocks liked Indiana soccer earlier than it was en vogue. (Courtesy of the Hitchcock household)

It’s a great distance from sporting his Pinstripe Bowl grievances on quick, screen-printed sleeves. Connor believes Indiana will pull it off on Monday, win by a number of scores. (“Which is an insane factor to say.”) And he can’t assist however dream of what a future with Cignetti and an woke up fan base may appear to be, the true hallmark of faculty soccer grandeur.

However he and Christa are additionally ensuring to soak all of it in and cherish this expertise — ideally with closets, storefronts and warehouses filled with commemorative merchandise.

“All of this, it was simply by no means within the realm of chance,” mentioned Connor. “I don’t cheer for Indiana soccer to win a nationwide championship. I cheer as a result of I really like the staff, and it’s my faculty. However now right here it’s. It’s such a flip of destiny. I’ve been very grateful for each step of it.”