Student entrepreneur tees up e-commerce success

A University of Glasgow graduate is turning back the clock to engage a new legion of style-conscious golf fans in the sport’s fashions of the past. 

Malcolm Weir, 22, founded his e-commerce resale platform Generation Mulligan two years ago to supplement his student income while working towards his degree in Geography. After graduating last summer, the young entrepreneur pivoted from his intended pathway in urban planning towards developing his fledgling brand as a full-time venture. 

The platform specialises in sourcing, restoring, and retailing premium vintage golf apparel, focusing on items from the 1980s to the early 2000s and aiming to make sustainable, high-quality "retro" fashion accessible to golfers, with names such as Nike, Callaway, TaylorMade, Titleist, and Adidas. 

Interest

Malcolm says he is creating interest in a vintage golf aesthetic made famous by iconic players such as Tiger Woods, John Daly, David Duval and Fred Couples, by emulating a selling model that has exploded among discerning Gen Z consumers with general and sports fashion platforms such as Vinted and Depop. 

• Generation Mulligan founder and CEO Malcolm Weir

Already Malcolm has grown sales alongside an engaged social media audience of 20,000+ followers, established a network of suppliers on three continents and has recently opened an operations unit in his home city of Edinburgh. In the coming months, he says he plans to take on staff to grow the business in a vintage e-commerce sector that has seen rapid gains in recent years. 

Malcolm’s success was recently recognised when he won Champion Student Startup at the University of Glasgow’s prestigious People and Excellence: Celebrating Achievements in Knowledge Exchange and Innovation 2026 Awards, highlighting the venture’s impact and promise as one of the University’s standout student-led startups. 

The brand name borrows from the phrase given to the informal convention of allowing a player to take another shot - a Mulligan - reflecting the brand’s mission of giving a new generation a fresh take on past styles. 

Malcolm said: “I needed to make a little bit of extra cash alongside my studies, because the cost of living is so much for students, and I didn't want to work at a pub or a cafe. 

“I always had a bit of an entrepreneurial spirit, and I had been into golf from a very young age. I really wanted to start something and initially began Generation Mulligan as a blog. But I was finding it hard to engage the audience I needed through long-form articles, so I turned to social media and set up the platform. 

Generation Mulligan’s success is a fantastic example of what our students can achieve with the right support, ambition and creativity. At the University of Glasgow, we’re proud to provide the mentoring, programmes and networks that help student entrepreneurs turn ideas into thriving ventures.

Marion Anderson

“I got really into my fashion and my vintage clothing at university, and I could see how big the vintage football shirt market was. I used to collect football shirts myself, and it started me thinking is there a vintage market for golf?  

“I began picking up items for myself, polos that Tiger Woods used to wear and pieces from the '90s. And I'd wear them on the course, and my friends would tell me they looked really good.” 

He added: “The clothes come from a variety of countries, where I work with people on the ground who source items from vintage shops, where most of the stock is.  

“Because of my marketing and brand presence, I can charge a much higher fee than if the suppliers were to sell in their countries for an equivalent price, and they still earn a profit.” 

Malcolm turned to the University for advice and support when he was setting up his platform, enrolling on a Summer Company Programme sponsored by Santander and receiving financial support. 

Malcolm said: “I received two and a half thousand pounds of funding, which doesn’t sound like a lot, but at the time that was huge, and I received loads of knowledge as well. I learned how to incorporate a business; I learned more about the legal side of running a business; and the marketing side - and that was really the beginning of Generation Mulligan as a business. This was all going on while I was studying at university.” 

The Student and Graduate Enterprise team at the University of Glasgow supports students through mentoring, startup programmes, funding opportunities, skills workshops, networking events, and access to incubation and growth support. 

Marion Anderson, Student and Graduate Enterprise Manager at the University of Glasgow, said: “Generation Mulligan’s success is a fantastic example of what our students can achieve with the right support, ambition and creativity. At the University of Glasgow, we’re proud to provide the mentoring, programmes and networks that help student entrepreneurs turn ideas into thriving ventures.” 

• Malcolm being presented with this Champion Student Start-up Award at the People & Excellence awards by Uzma Khan, Vice Principal for Innovation & Economic Development

Uzma Khan, Vice Principal for Innovation & Economic Development at the University of Glasgow, said: “Generation Mulligan exemplifies the entrepreneurial talent we are proud to nurture at the University of Glasgow — turning creativity into a compelling, high-impact venture. This award recognises not only Malcolm’s achievement, but the growing culture of innovation and ambition across our student community.” 

• Main image: Generation Mulligan founder and CEO Malcolm Weir photographed at the University of Glasgow, marking success for his e-commerce venture which he launched alongside his degree studies two years ago.