(Top row: Joe Hart, Adam Johnson, Eric Dier, Jade Bailey, Saido Berahino, Thomas Cruise; Bottom row: Jack Wilshere, Fern Whelan, Wayne Rooney, Connor Wickham, Theo Walcott)
As England look to the start of their campaign for Euro 2012, SER can announce a new deal between the Football Association and Umbro has been penned, that will see the two sides working together until at least 2018. At the same time, we can also reveal a new home kit that the team will wear as they battle for a place in the finals, which they missed out on last time round.
Giving the team a fresh new look, the new home shirt builds on the tailored principles behind the previous shirt and the current away kit, using the latest in design technology whilst adding a new, colorful graphic design to the template.
So what’s the thinking behind this design? The idea, another innovative approach to football kit design from Umbro, is inspired by the involvement of a true cultural icon in this particular project. Peter Saville – iconic graphic designer and all-round cultural connoisseur – has designed a special fabric print for the new kit, which features on the shoulder panels of the shirt.
Saville – who initially made his name through his work with Factory Records, and is now recognized as one of Britain’s leading creative minds – has crafted this design through a consideration of England’s cultural makeup. Inspired by the increasingly diverse fabric of England, the design takes the traditional St. George’s cross and reinterprets it as a reoccurring motif in four different colors – the traditional red, blue and green which feature in England’s three lions crest, plus a blend of all three which comes out as a striking purple.
Draped across the shoulders of the new shirt, the fabric print sees players and fans carrying the hopes of the nation with them wherever they go. Players names will appear within the fabric, to underline how they’re a part of the fabric of modern England. The shirt itself is inspired by the formal designs in England’s past, combined with the latest in design innovation.
Inspired by the idea behind this cultural fabric, Umbro decided to reveal the new kit on a special England team line-up that you can see at the top of the page, made up of some of the best young footballing talent in the country. Alongside established names such as Rooney and Joe Hart, we’ve also picked out players such Jade Bailey, one of the best prospects in the England Women’s team, and Eric Dier, an English teenager playing abroad in Portugal.
Together, they epitomize the different ideas on what it means to be English that the new fabric of England represents. Over the next few weeks, we’ll be taking a closer look at the kit itself, the players Umbro have chosen and the man who’s designed it, ahead of the shirt going on sale on October 12th. Ahead of that, you can see the kit being worn for the first time when England take on Bulgaria in their opening Euro 2012 game this Friday. In the meantime, here’s a video (at top) that offers a quick glimpse into the idea behind the new fabric of England.
