Universal Language founders Pete Burt (left) and Chris Aitchison.
Written by Midlothian View Editor, Phil Bowen
Edinburgh-based football apparel brand Universal Language has credited Business Gateway support with reshaping its commercial foundations as it prepares for its busiest period of trading since launching in December 2024.
Founded by school friends Chris Aitchison and Pete Burt, the brand produces high-quality, fan-focused clothing inspired by Scottish football culture. Chris brings commercial and marketing expertise built across years running his own agency, while Pete spent more than eight years as a designer in professional football, working for Hibernian and Tottenham Hotspur before returning to Edinburgh to build something made with a clear focus on the fans.
The idea first came to Chris while looking for a Hearts gift for his father. Searching online for football memorabilia, he couldn’t find anything of suitable quality or true sense of the club and its culture. Seeing the gap, Chris brought it to Pete, and the pair set out to build a brand around what they felt was missing: products that celebrated a club’s identity properly, rather than just its badge.
All products are designed in Edinburgh and printed or embroidered in the UK using sustainably produced garments. The range balances a permanent core collection with limited edition drops, allowing the brand to mark specific moments, clubs and cultural references while keeping its best-loved designs in circulation. Current collections focus on Hearts, Hibernian and an expanding Scotland national team range, with plans to grow into further clubs and collaborations. The brand has also recently taken its products on the road with the opening of a special of pop-up shop, timed to coincide with the World Cup.
Since launching, Universal Language has reached more than 3,000 customers, sold 5,000 products and generated 1.5 million monthly social media views. The brand has also raised more than £2,500 for MND Scotland, its charity partner, through sales of an official Marius Zaliukas tribute t-shirt.
The Edinburgh Business Gateway team has worked closely with Chris and Pete to assess and restructure the business, reviewing its brand communication strategy and aligning every element behind a single commercial goal. The Business Gateway team extended that support to include specialist IP guidance, with an arranged session involving the Intellectual Property Office helping clarify trademark and copyright processes. Universal Language has since moved to trademark its brand and copyright its designs, protecting its assets as it looks ahead to the next stages of growth.
Pitch preparation sessions followed, opening connections with the potential to create new opportunities for the business, while Chris has also attended several Business Gateway workshops to expand the team’s knowledge in a range of key areas.
Julie Batten, Business Gateway adviser, said: “Universal Language is a strong example of what happens when a genuine idea is backed by sound business thinking.
“Chris and Pete came to us with real momentum and connection to their audience. Our role was to help them build the right structure around it, from strategy to brand protection, so the business can grow on solid ground.”
Chris Aitchison, co-founder of Universal Language said: “The support from Business Gateway came at exactly the right time. Sitting down and properly reviewing the strategy gave us a solid foundation and the confidence to continue growing the business, knowing we are headed in the right direction.
“The IP guidance has been equally important. As the brand grows, protecting what we’ve created matters more and more. We’re genuinely grateful for the help getting that right.”
Tom Kim speaking to the press after his Scottish Open win.
Written by Midlothian View Reporter, Adam Bowen
When speaking to the press following his victory at the Scottish Open, Tom Kim stated how he ‘always wanted to come back and really really wanted to win’ this tournament. He cried in the recording office when he found out that he had definitely won following Min Woo Lee’s par on the 18th. He told the press that ‘if it wasn’t for all this media and photos I would probably go into my room and cry for a couple of hours.’ He described the moment as surreal.
He surprisingly said that he is ‘not really going to carry this into next week’ explaining that golf is a ‘very up and down sport.’ He has ‘learned’ over the years that in these situations he needs ‘to put it behind’ him and ‘move on.’
He said how he is going to ‘call the people that mean the world to me’ and that Tiger Woods was the first person to message him following his win today.
He spoke about the Scottish fans describing them as ‘one of the best in the world’ and that they ‘understand what a good shot is.’ He added that ‘it’s the home of golf so to win a trophy here is awesome for me.’
It was an impressive display by Kim this week, with a final round of 64, winning the tournament by two strokes ahead of Min Woo Lee who finished 15 under for the weekend.
Written by Midlothian View Reporter, Adam Bowen
A deflated but positive Bob spoke to the media following his disappointing final round at the Scottish Open.
He mentioned how his ‘usual putting wasn’t there this week’ alongside poor decision making. He also described his 5 iron on the 9th hole par 3 as ‘inexcusable’ saying he was ‘ballistic’ about it. He described the next couple of holes as a ‘snowball’ following that bad tee shot.
However, he did say that this week as well as last week have been ‘positive’ and he’ll go to Birkdale with ‘confidence.’ He furthered this by saying that he will need ‘luck’ to win The Open next week, instead of his runner up position in the 2025 US Open. Nonetheless, he believes this week ‘could potentially be my best approach play week of the year’ and that ‘everything is seeming to come together’
He has realised that ‘sometimes tweaking things to try and get better isn’t the answer’ and that you just need to ‘fine tune the stuff you’re already using.’
Touching on the fans quickly, he described them as ‘brilliant again’ and that when the Flower of Scotland came on at the par 3 15th he had ‘goosebumps’
Overall, despite the slightly disappointing end to Bob’s Genesis Scottish Open this week, he has played well throughout the tournament and is in good shape to perform well next week for the final major of the season, The Open.
