August 10, 2018
Trend Alert: New Premier League Soccer Jerseys
As a new season starts, the jerseys players will wear provide interesting trend insights for promotional products pros.
The World Cup is over. But for true-blue, dipped-in-Guinness football (soccer) fans, the real fun is about to begin this weekend. That’s when the Premier League, the most popular professional club soccer league in the world, kicks off its 2018-19 season. As a bit of a football nut, my reaction is summed up thus:
Played in England (Welsh clubs can compete too), the Premier League is home to teams even the most adamant anti-soccer haters in the U.S. have probably heard of, including Manchester United and Manchester City.
As we see it at Counselor, the commencement of Prem 2018-19 holds significance for promotional products distributors. The new season provides a chance to see the latest top-level jerseys in action – jerseys that feature fashion-forward style and performance elements that could soon be sought after features in North America’s imprinted athleticwear market. Here are a few trends we spotted among this year’s crop of Prem jerseys.
Trend One: Button-Up Collars Are Cool
Some poo-poo collars on kit tops. Boo to them, I say. The button-up collar adds a stylish, almost gentlemanly touch that is flattering to the wearer – be he professional athlete or pint-slugging supporter. Clearly, uniform designers for Prem teams like Everton (Umbro), Liverpool (New Balance), Arsenal (Puma) and Burnley (Puma) felt similarly.
I think the new #Everton @Everton home kit is the most beautiful amongst the #PremierLeague teams, isn't it? pic.twitter.com/5zuyPKL29R
— Norbert István Koi (@norbertistkoi) August 5, 2018
Trend Two: Lines & Gradients
Another trend we noticed was the use of lines and color gradients to add visual dimension and appeal. Note: We’re not talking about big stripes; overt, thicker horizontal or vertical stripes are standard on a lot of kits. Rather, we’re talking more about flourishes of lines and shadings in gradients. The tops below give an idea of what we mean.
Trend Three: Enhanced Performance Features
The big name brands in athletic wear keep improving the comfort-bringing, performance-enhancing elements of their shirts. The fact is evident in 2018-19 Premier League jerseys, billed as having the most advanced moisture wicking abilities to date. Depending on the jersey, complementing features can include ventilated mesh panels, ergonomically-placed side panels, super lightweight material, and more.
Trend Four: Super Geometric Designs
Admittedly, this trend doesn’t seem to be as hot as some of the others. Still, we thought it worth noting. The below third jersey for Liverpool best exemplifies the Cubist-looking geometric patterning to which we’re alluding.
Trend…Sort of: Super Wolves
Okay, this isn’t a trend per se. We just thought the huge “W” on Wolverhampton Wanderers’ new jersey makes the players look like superheroes we haven’t heard of. That’s awesome. Do note, however, that geometric elements are at play in the “W.” And, in the away jersey seen here, there is the tonal line work – a definite trend running through Prem team jerseys:
Head here to see all the kits.