We rate football’s fanciest tops as fans get their kits on
Minimal, monochrome and, dare I say, almost stylish? Apparently inspired by the kit worn during the 1995-96 promotion season under Jim Smith it “pays homage to the stanchions at Pride Park with a new graphic.”
Yeah, whatever. Nice shirt. Are they tiger stripes? With the wavy central red and blue jolts this really is the Rio carnival of football shirts.
It’s flamboyant, but not garish. Black shorts and a tight fit add to the party vibe. Expect to see this a lot down the pub – well, a London pub maybe. The new yellow kit is the first of their new Adidas deal and is a throwback to the iconic “bruised banana” look that divided fans so much back in the day.
So far it’s been a big hit with Arsenal fans. The yellow is certainly unmissable and looks good with the black trim. FOOTBALL may be the beautiful game but that doesn’t usually extend to its shirt designs.
The kits might not be high fashion but they are incredibly big business.
With home, away and an option for a third change of gear to flog there’s a lot of money to be made.
Manchester United receives £75million a year from Adidas, while Chelsea rakes in an initial £60million from Nike.
On top of this, they can make 10-15% of the revenue the manufacturers generate from sales. So with the new kits unveiled ahead of the 2019/20 season, the question is – will you splash the cash?
Football and fashion are not natural bedfellows but there are some rather great retro kits available.
And while I realise it won’t change your mind as to which team to root for, from a purely fashion viewpoint, here are my top scorers and red cards.
Jamie Vardy in action for Leicester