The Evolution of Football Kit Design: From Function to Fashion

 

The one constant that has survived in an ever changing and dynamic footballing world are the need for strips players wear to represent their clubs in matches. The birth of the game focused on strips purely for functionality neglecting any pursuit on comfort, regarded more so as ‘uniforms’ kits were typically heavier in design with durable thick material to withstand tough playing conditions, shaded in a visible colour to allow differentiation between teams was the only way of revealing a club’s identity. 

 Fast forwarding to the 1980s football strips became a haven for marketers, Eintracht Braunschweig became the first ever club in 1973 to accept sponsorship money thanks to the proposal of Alcohol giant Jägermeister to have their logo on the German club’s strip, the visionary tactic was strategized after realising the exposure of an engaged audience at games provided them with a platform to connect with alcohol fuelled fans.

 The 90s have been hailed as the ‘golden era’ of kit designs as manufactures such as Nike and Adidas began to become expressive in their creations with kits now standing out for their colours and compositions, to the extent they began to be better paired with a pair of flared jeans than just shorts and socks, allowing clubs to begin to target a streetwear segment opposed to just young kids looking to emulate their heroes at the local park. 

In the 21st century and modern times a kits functionality became just as prominent as its design with the players comfort now a key fundamental , with fabrics needing to be aerodynamic to aid performance levels all while staying stylish by collaborating with designers such as Napoli have with fashion guru Emporio Armani to develop kits worthy of an Italian fashion week & PSG working with Jordan to design a kit worthy of hitting the stylish streets of New York in , ensuring more demographics can be targeted than just football fans.




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