Fresh Ego Kid: The Legacy of Marvin Morgan

Last Updated on 3rd October 2023

Year Started:2010

WebsiteWholesale

Fresh Ego Kid is an urban wear brand that really hits the back of the net. But what’s the backstory? 

Who owns Fresh Ego Kid?

Fresh Ego Kid was launched in 2010 by Marvin Morgan, then a professional footballer for Aldershot. The Fresh Ego Kid owner wanted to fill his spare-time by designing clothes rather than buying them. Starting with Snapbacks, and then expanding to hoodies and tee’s, FEK has been taking on the Fashion world by storm ever since.

“Boredom was my motivation,” he explained. “I just got home from a [training] session one day and sat in front of the computer. I was so bored. I was fed up with spending money on clothes, fed up with shopping, fed up with playing computer games.”

 

Despite having no experience of graphic design, Marvin created the logo for his new brand. “It was as simple as that,” he says.

“As footballers, we finish at 1pm. That’s it. Once we’ve finished training, there’s nothing at all to do. I decided to do this.”

“I want to learn more about business because footballer’s careers are short. But I just hate the boredom footballers have in the afternoons.”

Morgan always wanted to be a footballer, but fashion was in his blood. His Jamaican Grandmother a famed dress maker in Manchester, and his dad had a clothing brand called Uzi.

He was pushed into considering an alternative career when he was booed off playing for Aldershot, and responded on Twitter with the message “Like to thank the fans who booed me off the pitch. Where’s that going to get you! I hope you all die.”

The uncharacteristic loss of control resulted in the club putting him on the transfer list, and he ironically was loaned to a higher division with league one Dagenham, but released at the end of the season. Even though he moved onto Scunthorpe, his back-up career was on the move up the leagues.

At some point he was joined by Jon Reuben, an Associate Director of Tottenham Hotspur Football Club who worked with the retail team. 

The Success of Fresh Ego Kid

Much like the boys at Bee Inspired, Marvin continued playing football while running his clothing brand. And equally, the key to the early juggernaut was connections in the football world. While he can’t claim the likes of Messi like Sik Silk can, but he didn’t have to persuade or pay London based players like Lukuka, Aubameyang, Sterling, Trippier, Alli, Maddison, Chillwell, Mariappa, Tomori, Antonio, Bollasi, Morrison, Maitland-Niles, and the Beast himself Akinfenwa to wear his garments.

There is so much more than celebrity endorsements involved with successful brands, but none succeed without it. Inspired by brands like Nike, Adidas, Champion and Puma, and more culturally relevant streetwear brands like BAPE, Ice Cream and Off-White, he had a vision and ultimately his desire to be a top brand meant quality garments. And that is a major part of why his famous footballer friends were happy to represent.

As a striker he was used to finding his space on the pitch to succeed, and he knew he had to replicate that in the urban clothing scene. 

Celebrities wearing FEK

As a player, Morgan was known for his battling determination to win, and this has been replicated with Fresh Ego Kid and it’s relentless Social Media Promotion. The journeyman striker has scored many goals in his career, but no doubt that feeling has been replicated seeing his label on such celebrities as Little Mix, JLS and Cruz Beckham. Fresh Ego Kid developed a host of celebrity fans and a cult following.

The standout Fresh Ego Kid Snapback

Back in 2015 Dele Alli was the hottest property in the Premier League. Arriving from MK Dons in the summer, he tore the league apart in his debut season for Spurs. He was an insult cult hero for the kids in London, and on his Instagram he wore a green Fresh Ego Kid snapback.

Dele Alli in a Fresh Ego Kid snapback
A fresh faced Dele Alli in a Fresh Ego Kid snapback

The hat instantly sold out and for months after people chased down every single streetwear retailer desperate for one. I know this, as I worked in one and disappointed 15-20 people a day.

Even the sales agent told me that they could not make them fast enough. The entire range of Snapbacks sold in record numbers, all pointing to a rise of the brand set to hit the highest heights.

Morgan’s football career might not have been successful as he would have wished, but his fashion label certainly made him the house-hold name he deserved. 

Fresh Ego Kid Caps

Why are they called Fresh Ego Kid?

Footballers are known for their ego, but Marvin considered that a positive. The names in consideration were Fresh Kid and Ego Kid, so Morgan just decided to combine them and defines himself the titular brand name.

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Chloé Saffio is our resident Fast Fashion Expert for the UK Urban and Streetwear scene. Her eyes have been constantly glued to social media for the last 10 years giving her an unrivalled insight. In her spare time, she used to like shopping and lying in the sunshine and making the pilgrimage to Ibiza. Now, she is a tired and grumpy new mother and back from maternity leave as the full time FFN writer. Chloe lives in London where she completed her journalism degree at the University of Roehampton. She lives in a small flat Putney with her fiancée Christian, daughter Sofia, and their French Bulldog Coco. And she's on the look out for a nice house and garden at a bargain price,