The crossover between football and fashion has seen the football jersey rise as a staple piece in many lifestyle collections. Free from any kind of constraints they can be some of the best designs never to be used on pitch, and here we round up our favourite from 2021.
While the world of on-pitch football shirt design is getting more adventurous, it’s still bound by rules, regulations and other constraints. That’s simply not a concern for lifestyle collections, within which more and more are taking influence from the crossover of football and fashion. So if you’re wanting to see the best shirt designs in use by professional teams from around the world, then you can head here, but if you’re after an alternative take on the world of jersey design, then you’ve come to the right place; these are the best off-pitch jerseys from 2021 – you only wish your team would have a look as good as some of these.
Youthful and irreverent clothing brand Rowing Blazers hooked up with Umbro for a limited-edition twelve piece football-fuelled collection, and among it were three outstanding shirt designs, reimagined with iconic Rowing Blazers signature patterns and fabrics including its trademark croquet stripe, the gun club check house tweed pattern, and a classic Gordon Modern tartan. Left-field and we loved it.
Nowhere FC x Jameson St. Patrick's Day Jerseys
Here's one we didn't see coming... famous whisky company Jameson teaming up with Nowhere FC to celebrate St. Patrick's Day with a limited tie-die collection. Don't get enough tie-die these days. Our favourite of the three on offer? Had to be the traditional Irish colours – perfect for necking a few, um, we mean celebrating Paddy's Day in.
H&M, yes those of high street notoriety, teamed up with Lover's FC for a collection that boasted more than a subtle bit of influence from ‘90s vintage kits. Landing just ahead of EURO 2020 (played in 2021 of course), it offered a unique sportswear/streetwear/fashion mashup packed full with nostalgia.
Ahead of what is surely one of the most anticipated International matches between the home nations since 1996, HANON and Umbro have delved back into the archives of Scotland’s football kits for a double dose of special edition goodness, recreating the iconic 1991/93 away jersey worn during their successful qualification for EURO ’92 in two distinct styles. OK so the match may not have played out the way either team would've liked, but Scotland certainly enjoyed it more, deserving all the plaudits.
Cult Kits x SoccerBible 'Dreamers Collection'
Created in homage to the glorious era of shirt design that was the mid-90s, Cult Kits joined forces with us to present ‘The Dreamers Collection’: a striking design in three colour options that nods to the 95/96 Arsenal shirt, created to reflect football fashion heritage with a focus on a decade that inspired a generation.
Umbro x Factory Records & New Order 'Madchester'
Another one that arrived ahead of EURO 2020 and that packed more than a pinch of nostalgia, Umbro collaborated with both Factory Records and New Order for a dual dose of 90s retro goodness. The 'Madchester' series served as a uniform for those dedicated to both music and football, blending both worlds for a look that lauded the global impact of a single city through a golden era.
Continuing their longstanding collaborative relationship, END. and adidas teamed up with Japanese streetwear stalwarts Neighborhood for their latest football-themed capsule, Neighbourhood F.C. Consisting of a duo of football kits – home and away – it saw an eye-catching leopard print patterns dominating the look, nodding to Neighborhood’s history and legacy as cultural tastemakers.
Celebrating the football jersey as a true fashion item, NSS took inspiration from New York Metrostars aesthetics, mixing New York touch and feel with Naples’ soul for the NSS Metrostars Jersey, which they later inverted for the away option. A pair of looks you'd love your team to be able to boast.
Dutch streetwear brand Patta produced a football-inspired capsule with Kappa that reimagined the iconic 1988/89 AC Milan away kit, made famous after the club won their third European Cup in the legendary 4-0 final against Steaua Bucarest at the Camp Nou. A great recreation of a classy shirt.
South Korean PPRN Seoul haven't let a pesky pandemic get in the way of their progress, rolling out a number of collaborative projects throughout the year. A highlight for us was their first hook up with women's clothing brand Spunky, for which they produced a football-inspired jersey with a solid lifestyle edge. Caught some headlines when it was worn in the summer by Miyeon, lead singer of K-pop band (G)I-DLE.
Umbro's collaboration game has been strong this year, and among it they partnered with art and football magazine OOF to celebrate two of the hottest British artists, producing two limited edition shirts of art. Unique and eye-catching, fully taking advantage of the lack of rules, regulations and club considerations.
Mizuno x SoccerBible Nagoya Grampus
Our second offering on this list comes as part of Mizuno's wider Nagoya Grampus collection. Putting our own contemporary spin on the Nagoya Grampus Eight ‘93 jersey, we enlisted the help of Fokohaela to create this absolutely unapologetic piece that's made to be worn whilst celebrating a heritage of football design that still hits hard today. Not bad, even if we do say so ourselves.
Collaborating with the kings of football/fashion fusion, F.C. Real Bristol, Meyba veered away from the purely lifestyle circuit that they've embraced since their reemergence, and we're so glad they did. The standout design of the three produced was the floral number that you'd expect to see on the likes of Club America. Pure fire.
Asbury Park x Neptune City 'Rivals'
Should we be taking sides in this age-old battle? Even if we don't, it's still hard to pick a favourite from the Asbury Park x Neptune City 'Rivals' collection, with a solid design apiece for the two best teams that you've never heard of. Honestly, if this rivalry continues to produce such superb designs then long may it continue.
Drawing inspiration from gabber-rave-football culture, Umbro partnered with Aries for a 10-piece collection that is packed out with big shapes and loud colours that have been lifted straight from the 90s. Can you honestly imagine Burnley in something as radical as this? Come on Umbro, you know you want to.
PUMA x SoccerBible x Acid FC Utopia
Our final collaborative offering for the year and this list, the wavy FC Utopia jersey saw us we’ve teaming up with PUMA and London design collective ACID FC to create something tangible that brings together cultural influences from football, fashion, art and music, celebrating the unique perceptions of Utopia in football. Wild doesn't even cut it in our humble opinion.
Shop off-pitch styles at prodirectsoccer.com
Here's to another banger next year. Have a good one and stay safe...
