Over the weekend, Napoli debuted their new third shirt for the 21/22 season. But it was a third shirt in name only… In actual fact it was the club’s 10th shirt of the season (and that’s not including GK kits), with technical sponsors EA7 working overtime on the design and production lines. But how many shirts are too many?
Remember the days when a club would have a home and an away kit and that was that? Well those days are admittedly long gone, but Serie A side Napoli are taking things to a whole new level, with the club’s 10th shirt of the season having just dropped, and an inevitable European tweak meaning it will be 11 different designs for the season. And we’re only just over half way! Maybe someone needs to have a serious sit down with Giorgio Armani to talk through the intricacies of shirt etiquette…
See, this is Armani-offshoot EA7’s first foray into the world of professional football and they’re clearly making the most of it, pumping out kits as if it were their last. The relationship between football and fashion has developed at an amazing rate over the last few years, and Napoli have been only too willing to embrace this shift in culture, having collaborated with Marcelo Burlon last season for a special edition kit. But this season they took things a step further, partnering with none other than fashion powerhouse Giorgio Armani’s EA7 brand.
EA7 was launched in 2012 as Emporio Armani's new sports and casual brand, bringing a new sportswear angle to the fashion house, and they’ve already dressed numerous Italian athletes including summer and winter Olympics teams, tennis players, ski championships, and more. But football is new for them, and reports suggest that the arrangement with Napoli may only be a short term deal, so it looks as though they are certainly making the most of it, cramming five years worth of shirts into what could only be a single season.
For the 21/22 season, Napoli currently have four domestic competition jerseys, two tweaked Europa League versions with the gold trim (the away only switches out the sponsor logo), three Maradona tribute shirts and a special halloween kit. And let’s face it, there’ll probably be more. Even the most diehard fan would surely not be investing in all of these.
The thirst for jersey culture has arguably never been greater, and the partnership between EA7 and Napoli epitomises the crossover appeal that is contributing to its ever-increasing popularity. But this still feels like a step too far. Having said that, all three Maradona shirts and the Halloween special are sold out on Napoli’s official store, showing that the demand is there. So perhaps it’s just the European versions that feel a bit unnecessary… adding gold is a bit ostentatious – not like they’re defending champions or anything.
A further consideration comes in the form of rules and regulations. We’ve already seen several clubs fall foul of the restrictions imposed by the governing bodies this season, so how are Napoli seemingly able to have as many as they want? Well it appears that so long as notice is served of the intention of wearing a kit, and they obtain the written approval of the Lega Nazionale Professionisti Serie A, relating to the compliance with the Regulations of the game uniforms, then there are no restrictions to how many kits a team can wear in a season. So there you go. And while the club continue to sell the shirts that are produced, creating some much welcome added revenue, it probably won't stop anytime soon.
Do we want to see other clubs following this pattern? No we don't. Three to four shirts for a season seems more than enough to us. But you can't fault EA7 for getting over excited.
Shop Napoli's extensive 21/22 collection at store.sscnapoli.it
