Arsenal have long been admired for their style of play. Now with the launch of an adventurous new away kit, Nike are trying to match their soccer panache with a “high street fashion” inspired strip delivered in a purple design. Not to mention the garish goalkeeper outfit!
The 2012/13 Arsenal Away Kit uses a regal colour in the year of the Diamond Jubilee celebrations that honours the Club's historical royal links. Arsenal's outfield uniform combines a rich purple base with black hoops. Nike claim the kit is “on-trend”, but it remains a far cry from the Gunners traditional yellow away colours.
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The red trim on the new Arsenal Away Shirt cuffs compliment the purple body and pay homage
to the home kits that are so identifiable with the Club, whilst the differing hoop
patterns on the body and the sleeves of the shirt give it a modern twist.
The inner back neck graphic takes the form of the club’s motto, ‘Victoria
Concordia Crescit’, the Latin for ‘Victory Through Harmony’. Meanwhile, the
outer back neck graphic pays tribute to legendary manager Herbert Chapman’s
innovative WM formation.
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The purple and black hooped socks, bearing one red hoop each, again pay
tribute to Chapman’s legacy, as it was he who introduced hooped socks – he
reasoned that they would make it easier for his players to pick one another out
on the pitch.
Speaking on the new 2012/13 Arsenal Away Kit, Theo Walcott said: “I think this new Away kit is pretty fashionable – I can imagine it will look really cool on fans worn with jeans. The kit is a bit different – it is more style led – I like it.”
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain commented: “I think the new Away kit is really good – I like the style – it is very different to what I’ve used to see Arsenal play in over the last few years – especially the hoops which are on the socks as well. It’s a good change – a fresh start.”
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Each of Nike's new 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 and keep players comfortable.
Whilst the kit combines modern sport and youth style to give the club a striking new look, Nike’s innovations give the team the 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.
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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.
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