LONDON, UK. September 7th, 2026 – QPR’s new third kit is turning heads by doing the opposite of what sponsors usually aim for. The all-black strip keeps branding deliberately understated, while QPR legend Jamie Mackie helped launch a matchday shirt swap encouraging supporters to leave their “any old colours” behind and step into the blackout.
The blackout extended beyond the shirt, with sponsors including MrQ going a step further by removing their advertising from perimeter boards, cutting through the usual commercial noise and putting the attention firmly back on the football.
While MrQ may have been difficult to spot inside the stadium, the brand made its presence felt outside it, creating a fan-first activation that invited supporters to exchange their old colours for a new QPR shirt and join the blackout for free.
Supporters could bring any old football shirt to swap, including previous QPR kits, rival colours, childhood favourites and shirts that had spent years tucked away at the back of the wardrobe.
Jamie Mackie made the first swap before meeting supporters, getting involved in the shirt exchange and sharing his thoughts on the new kit.
“I’ve had a lot of QPR shirts over the years, so I know how much they can mean to people. Some of them are definitely easier to put in the bin than others! The new third kit looks great, and I love the idea of fans getting involved and trading their old colours for it.”
Two oversized ‘LOVE’ and ‘HATE’ bins determined the fate of the supporters’ old shirts, creating a striking contrast with the new all-black kit. The bins also sparked plenty of debate among watching fans as their once-loved shirts were enthusiastically sent into either the love or hate pile.
The activation gave MrQ the chance to put the spotlight firmly back where it belongs: on football.
“Don’t get it twisted, we’re going to be loud and proud as QPR sponsors this season. But sometimes the best thing a sponsor can do is get out of the way. This was about putting QPR and the game first: black us out, let the club shine, and do some good for charity while we’re at it,” said Adam Ryan, Chief Commercial & Marketing Officer at MrQ.
The shirts collected during the activation will now be donated to KitAid, giving the old colours a new lease of life and helping them reach communities where they can be put to good use.
So, while MrQ may have been difficult to spot inside the stadium, the impact of the blackout was impossible to miss outside it.
