Manchester United 2012/13 Nike Away Kit

The launch of the Manchester United ‘Gingham’ home kit caused quite a stir amongst the football community and it definitely split the masses. So perhaps playing caution to the wind, Nike have gone relatively conservative when it came to designing the kit of the world’s richest sporting club. It is the jersey to be worn by stars such as Wayne Rooney, Nemanja Vidic and Danny Wellbeck, and we will see them this season in a sharp white away kit.

A white away kit always seem to be the calling of many football clubs, and there are very few teams that pull off a white away kit quite like Manchester United. But there is more to the kit than the look, with a reference to Manchester’s industrial past buried within the design of the kit. With the clean white look and the red trim, we think that Manchester United’s away kit for the 2012/13 season will go down well with the fans!

The white of Manchester United’s new kit epitomises class, while the red trim and rising collar gives the shirt a contemporary look. The inner back neck graphic on the shirt reads, ‘Forged in Industry, Striving for Glory’; paying tribute to the city’s industrial past but also the club’s hard-working ethos. Meanwhile, the iconic devil symbol so synonymous around the world with Manchester United is printed on the back of the neck of the shirt.

The socks are white with a red and black detail on the top. They offer a new and innovative design featuring an updated cotton footbed offering the support and comfort enjoyed by professionals to all that wear them. Whilst the kit combines modern sport and youth style to give the club an iconic new look, Nike’s innovation gives the team our most technologically advanced kit to aid athlete comfort and performance.

The new home kit is made from Nike’s ground-breaking recycled polyester, making it Nike’s most environmentally friendly kit ever produced. Each kit (shirt and shorts) is made using up to thirteen recycled plastic water bottles. This innovative manufacturing process reduces energy consumption by up to 30% compared to manufacturing traditional polyester. Since 2010 Nike has used an estimated 1115 million recycled plastic bottles to create its high performance kits.

Kits have bonded re-enforced t-bar junctions that support critical seams on the shirt and shorts and inner welded seams with a flat finish construction to improve comfort and performance. Temperature regulation is helped by ventilation zones, consisting of a series of tiny laser cut holes from the under arms to the waistband, allowing air to circulate to keep players comfortable.

The kits are made out of 23% lighter fabric with 20% stronger knit structure than Nike’s previous kits and feature Nike Dri-FIT technology to wick moisture away from athletes to help keep them cool and dry on-pitch. Fans and players can enjoy the Nike’s Manchester United Sportswear collection off the pitch, inspired by the club’s heritage.

The kit goes on sale today. What do you think about the latest offering from Nike? Leave your thoughts in the comments section below.