All I Want for Christmas is a Dukla Prague Away Kit (Or How Football Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Creativity)

National Anthems

As an Englishman living in Australia with a healthy obsession for football, last weekend was a bit exciting to say the least…A Heart stopping penalty decider for the Matilda's whilst the Lionesses put in a business-like performance to come from behind against Colombia and tee up a rather tantalising Semi Final on Wednesday night.

As the World Cup draws to its finale I thought id write about how, many years ago, I joined the dots between a shared passion of football and design and my appreciation of the humble football shirt was born.

The modern-day concept of a football shirt is not just big business, it’s a machine. The result of years of strategy, research, and ideation and then, upon its launch a wave of hype that attempts to build the club as a brand. Look up any recent kit launch from around the world, and you’ll notice a clear cross over into the fashion and streetwear industries as socials bombard us with the obligatory photoshoot of millennials sporting the latest drop (usually worn by a moustachioed hipster tucked into a pair of Dickies). And then, 12 months later, the hypebeast is unleashed upon us and we do it all again.

Not that football and fashion is a new thing. The height of Liverpool’s European dominance in the 1980s saw the rise of the ‘Casual’ subculture epitomised not just by cheap speed and hooliganism but also Adidas trainers and Sergio Tacchini tracksuits. More recently Karl Lagerfeld designed a beautiful piece for Frances’ 2011 World Cup campaign and Ultra Football have just launched their Kit Couture series. Making its debut at this year’s FIFA Women's World Cup™ the English designer Wales Bonner extended her collaboration with Adidas to include strips for the Men’s and Women’s Jamaican National team.  Even local hospitality legends Pelligrino 2000 have launched a world cup inspired uniform, and you know what…it’s not too shabby!

All this however is a far cry from the uniform’s basic origins as a graphical device to tell the difference between 22 blokes running around a muddy field chasing a pig’s bladder….so where did it all begin and how did we get to where we are today with Kim fucking Kardashian nipping out to ALDI in a vintage Roma shirt?

Kick Off

The history of football shirt design can be traced back to the late 19th century when the sport of football started gaining popularity in England. As you can imagine designs were primitive and derived out of necessity more than anything else and the evolution was slow and steady to say the least.

In 1891, a match between Wolves and Sunderland became a scene of confusion as both teams appeared in identical kit designs. This incident prompted the FA to implement a new rule, mandating clubs to officially register their team colours. Additionally, the FA insisted that all clubs must possess a white alternative kit to be used in case of kit clashes.

Moving forward to 1928, Arsenal and Chelsea emerged as pioneers by being among the initial teams in the league to embrace the concept of wearing shirt numbers. The year 1933 marked another milestone when numbers were employed for the first time in an FA Cup match featuring Everton and Manchester City. During this match, Everton adopted jersey numbers 1 to 11, while City adorned numbers 12 to 22. (If you’re really keen you can read more about fonts and their history in Dennis Hurley's fantastic book “Football Type 2”)

Then in the early 70s something changed; English brand Admiral employed a grad school designer to knock up some ideas for Don Revie's Leeds side and the company went from strength to strength delivering custom, design-driven shirts for a host of teams including the classic 1982 England World cup kit. This unique partnership between designer and football club was not just the start of a growing influence that the creative industry would have on Football but also spawned the rise of fan merchandise and the Replica Kit.

Not to be outdone however, German sportswear giant Adidas were contracted by Queens Park Rangers to supply their kits and for the 1985-86 season delivered an instant classic complete horizontal white and blue stripes, subtle red piping and a huge ‘Guinness’ sponsor emblazoned across the chest. But they didn’t stop there…

At the 1988 European Championship in Germany, as well as a nice little number for the host country the brand delivered a stunning, geometric design with an orange gradient and a simple black adidas Trefoil for eventual winners the Netherlands. A real gamechanger shirt when compared to its contemporaries and a piece that is commonly referred to as the Holy Grail by collectors. (A player spec shirt that recently appeared in the CLASSIC FOOTBALL SHIRTS LIMITED exhibition is rumoured to fetch an eye watering 2500GBP)

Half time

And then along came the 90’s, described by many as the golden age of football shirt design. With the advent of the Premier league, increasingly obscene sponsorship deals and transfer fees, Channel 4s coverage of the Italian domestic league and ‘Soccer’ cracking the US market with the world cup in 1994 it was an era defining decade for the game and its polyester uniforms. I could bang on about this subject for a long time, trust me, but a few of my personal highlights include:

·        The minimal 1991 Marseille kit by Adidas, famous for a heavily Mulletted Chris Waddle, socks round his ankles, lazily ruining opposition careers.

·        Fiorentina’s beautiful Nintendo adorned Fila shirt (does it get any more nineties?) with the equally beautiful Gabriel Batistuta as he banged in goals for fun with his cannon of a right foot.

·        England’s Blue Umbro third shirt that was never used at Italia ‘90 but made a cheeky appearance on Barney Sumner in the video for New Orders ‘World in Motion’.

·        And finally, one from my adopted country; the 93 Australia shirt, affectionately known as the ‘Spew’ kit and a piece that still to this day divide’s opinion on a Vegemite-esque level (Marmite to the UK readers)

Amongst all this a seismic shift in shirt design occurred when Portland local and Nike Creative, Drake Ramberg thought he might head over to Europe and see what all this football fuss was about. What ensued was a series of groundbreaking designs that defined the era for clubs like PSG, Arsenal and Borussia Dortmund. Motifs included eagle inspired sleeves, halftone effects (well before Photoshop made this a simple click of a button), rustic Italian pavers and deconstructed footballs that all contributed to a seminal body of work. It not only looked great but had an underlying significance that supporters could relate to, a shirt that was ownable on many different levels and a manifestation of the design process paraded every Saturday afternoon for the masses to devour.

The 2000s have produced some modern classics as shirt design has gone from contemporary 'Dramberg' inspired masterpieces (Nigeria 2018 by Nike) to retro (Roma Third 2019/20 also by Nike) and back again with non-traditional manufacturers like Castore and New Balance getting involved in the seemingly ever-growing culture of football shirts.

Extra Time

Contemporary designs increasingly search for a valid plotline and whilst I don’t mind a good narrative driving the design process (see Mexico’s current away shirt that reflects both the country’s pre-Hispanic history and current-day cultural references) some of the results can be a little underwhelming, but at least they have meaning. Sam Diss describes the relevance of storytelling in football marketing in his recent newsletter (it’s well worth a read) concluding that we need to invest in creativity, or we risk “losing the chance of turning the club you support into the club you love”.

No coincidence then that I was inspired to read that Crystal Palace FC have appointed Kenny Annan-Jonathan as Creative Director. In a first for a Premier League Club his role will be to oversee apparel and fashion partnerships and tap into the culturally rich heritage of the South London Borough. This strategic move draws parallels with the approach taken by the popular Red Star Paris, a favourite among footballing hipsters. Spearheaded by former Sunderland legend David Bellion, the Club has adeptly connected with a worldwide audience, despite their comparatively modest achievements on the field.

Penalties

This article started as a very basic foray into the world of football kit designs. During my research however I realised that there was a much more important message to convey and I’d like to thank the likes of Sam, Drake and Kenny for having a massive influence on the trajectory of the piece and (hopefully) its contribution to the wider discourse on why the Football Industry needs Creatives. It's becoming evident that football clubs are at last recognising the potency of creativity and its potential to shape, target, and cultivate a devoted fan base. Collaborations such as BAPE X Inter Miami, Palace X Juventus, and Guillermo Andrade X MLS seem to endorse this notion. If this translates into heightened emotional engagement, then I’m in…just no more half and half scarves thanks.