When the Originals side of the adidas brand turns its head to football, good things happen. Case in point: the latest Icons collection, which took a focus on the brand’s national federations to pretty much universal praise.
The thirst for all things throwback show no signs of being quenched anytime soon, and adidas have tapped into it in the best way possible with its latest Originals Football Collection. It brought back some of the best international kits, recreated for the street with a completely different fit, fabric and trim compared to their original replica counterparts, prioritising lifestyle aesthetic over sports performance. And it just hits all the right notes.
In the build up to the 2018 World Cup, adidas Originals released a collection of retro international shirts, which gave fans a smart alternative to the performance replica and a taste of how beautifully stylish retro returns could be. It was a delicious little capsule drop, complete with the nostalgia-laden Trefoil branding throughout, reminding the world of just how good that branding still was. But it was a relatively quiet release as far as the marketing for it went, appreciated mainly by those that were in the know, so to speak. This time though, it feels like adidas have gone all out, with the collection expanding way beyond just recreations of the player jerseys; in addition to them and even a wider training wear range, adidas has also launched the Adicolor capsule collection of 1970s-inspired tracksuits, t-shirts and shorts, in the colours of ten adidas partner federations across UEFA and CONMEBOL, and it’s already gained far more support.
The new collection brings back iconic looks for Germany, Spain, Italy, Sweden, Belgium, Argentina, Mexico, Chile and Colombia (with Jamaica also treated to some retro fits, despite not being a Three Stripes team previously) from the 1970s, 80s and 90s – eras that heavily influence current street style for a new generation that increasingly embraces football culture in their daily wardrobe.
Additionally, unlike previous releases such as that 2018 drop, this latest collection has enjoyed some premium promotion, being worn by the stars of the game, with the Germany men’s national team arriving for their match against Turkey in the collection – Sane, Gnabry and Muller standing out in their own style – and Italy and Sweden wearing their track tops ahead of their games with North Macedonia and Estonia respectively – adidas Originals casually winning the November international break without breaking stride.
Meanwhile, none other than Lionel Messi helped the return of the 1994 Argentina kit, donning it for an adidas shoot, instantly adding to the gravitas that one Diego Maradona had already bestowed upon the kit, it being the last World Cup the great man appeared in.
Beyond the players, the collections have featured at high profile events, even ahead of their launch, raising their profile and the anticipation of their release even further. The Italy set, in particular, was featured at Club To Club, the historic musical festival in Turin. C2C has always been a melting pot for cross-cultural blending, combining music with art, design and football, and sure enough, in line with that, on Sunday 5 November, the final night of the event, during the live performance at the OGR by Victor Kwality and Gang of Ducks, the pair wore items from the FIGC set.
It’s these kind of endorsements that only serve to heighten the collection, elevating its status for fans by highlighting its presence in the game and in cultural border-crossing spaces.
As an emblem of that positioning, the Trefoil currently sits in the Three Stripes repertoire as a lifestyle link to a performance past, an endorsement of casual cool, and we’re all for its return in any way. It was last seen as an on-pitch regular in the early 90s; the curtain call to what was its prolific presence through the 70s and 80s. We’ve been clamouring to see it make a return to the top level of the game, and it’s recently been getting a subtle reintroduction through retro collections for Lyon and Juventus, gently being pushed back into the public consciousness and increasing the hype for a potential performance return. That’s helped once again with its presence here, although it’s used sparingly, sitting alongside the ‘adidas’ wording, which was the original branding used at the time – another level of authenticity to the collection granted by the attention to detail that's a hallmark of the collection.
Pairing up the jerseys with a wider collection only serves to increase the appeal in the whole collection. We’ve been championing a return of the match day tracksuit for a while now, and here it’s delivered and then some – once again recreated with oversized logos, oversized club crests, a mish-mash of colours and layering, and a 90s vibe that is unmistakably throwback.
The appeal of the collection comes mainly on two fronts: the first is its naturally timeless nature – by definition, it’s never getting old. It’s part and parcel of the recent boom in retro replica, where one purchase has you covered for years, rather than a shirt that gets swapped out season upon season.
The second is centred around the general demand in football fashion and jersey culture for anything retro related. Take a look at the new kit offerings every season and any number will draw design inspiration from the past in one form or another. So why not cut out the middle man and go straight to source? Why settle for a modern take on a classic when you can have the classic itself? Makes sense, right? Add to that the fact that adidas have recreated the designs specifically for lifestyle circles, and what you’ve got is surely an easy decision when it comes to parting with your hard-earned cash.
With Europe’s offerings revealed and ready for retail, now we sit and wait patiently for the full release from Central and South America. It’s retro done right, and it’s never getting old.
Shop the adidas Originals FED Bring Back Collection at prodirectsport.com/soccer
