Possibly one of the wildest shirt designs ever seen on-pitch, Jorge Campos’s goalkeeper attire from the 1994 World Cup lives long in the memory. Arguably a work of art in its own right, it has now become the focus of designer Mark Johnson, as he recreates it as a piece fit for any gallery.
Umbro have been on top form with their shirt designs in recent seasons, continuing to reign as replica royalty with some of the best bespoke looks around, boasting a mixture of bold and brash or clean and tidy. But this is not something new; Umbro is one of the longest serving kit manufacturers in the game, with a heritage and experience to rival any brand out there. A look at their huge archive shows some of the most memorable and striking designs of all time, particularly from the golden era of kit design that was the 90s, and chief among them was the Mexico 1994 World Cup shirt, made famous on the back of Jorge Campos.
It’s no secret that we’re big fans of 90s-era shirt design, especially the 'ugly' 90s goalkeeper jerseys, which we'd love to see make a return; those oversized wild creations, bursting with colour, superfluous collars, and radical graphics – glorious. And probably the epitome of all of that were the Jorge Campos shirts from the 1994 World Cup. Produced by Umbro, the ugly shirt of ugly shirts was simply beautiful in its execution, and it’s a pleasure to see the design transcend its place on the pitch to take up a position as a work of art that it rightly deserves, courtesy of Mark Johnson. The designer-come-artist has recreated the shirt in a 3D representation, and we had a quick chat to find out about the process.
What’s the motivation behind this project?
During these uncertain times in the world with everyone in lock down, I wanted to use this time wisely to experiment with different media. I am a big fan of how artists around the world create eye catching structures which feature in some of the biggest museums/galleries across the globe. This got me thinking on how could I create something on a much smaller scale (maybe just for now) but put a football twist to it.
What’s the story behind it?
As a big fan of football shirts, I love to see the crazy patterns and colours on past and present designs. One of the best times of the year are when clubs release their new jerseys. I wanted to take this and my ongoing project of Classic Football Shirts x Typographic Numbers to the next level and create something 3D. The 1994 Mexico goalkeeper jersey worn by Jorge Campos is one of if not the most iconic goalkeeper jersey in the history of football. The custom eccentric design is such an eye catching shirt which goes hand in hand with the legendary goalkeeper who wore it.
Can you tell us a bit about the creative process?
Initially I worked up how the design could look on paper then made a few prototypes to see how the design could work and come together. Once all the shape templates were cut out of card, I experimented by hanging them on my study ceiling with cotton and tape. Once I was happy with the layout of the shapes I shot the hanging shirt and mocked the artwork up in museum surroundings.
