The new England Kit: Working with Capello
Umbro’s Senior Vice President Of Football answers a few quickfire questions from football journalist Chris Hunt about the process of developing the new England strip.
Chris: How did the development of the new England kit begin?
Martin: “We decided to challenge the merits of a design thought process that we had used in the past. It was really just saying: if we rethink it, this can be a significant point in time, a watershed for the Umbro brand and The FA, and this can help change people’s view of both. This meant going to The FA and talking to them about a new process.”
Chris: How important was it to get Fabio Capello to buy into the concept for this England shirt?
Martin: “It was really important for us and we involved him from a very early stage. In relatively recent history we’ve seen how important that a leader – a manager – can be to the success of a team, so there was no way we would just pay lip service to someone of Capello’s integrity and experience. It was critical to get his thinking and that of the players, to ensure that we were delivering them something that was perceived as having real value. It’s one thing proving it in a lab, but you have to get these guys to believe in what you’re doing.”
Chris: What was his reaction when he first saw the new shirt?
Martin: “We showed Capello the initial prototypes and then we went back to him for a second time and presented the finished kit in its entirety. We were delighted by his first reaction. You could tell from his body language that he bought into the clean aesthetic and the purity of the kit from the start, and that really opened the door for us to engage with the players.”
Next week Chris talks to Devon Burt from Nike about how an outside pair of eyes helped influence the development of the kit.
On 5 Mar 2009, at 6:15 pm The new England Kit | TheOriginalWinger.com wrote:
[...] I’m not 100% sure that this is is the final product (at least I hope it’s not). Anyway, head here for a short interview with Umbro’s VP of football where he talks about the new jersey and [...]
On 7 Mar 2009, at 4:47 am Matupeco wrote:
Great post! I’ve made a design, thinking about heritage design on new England shirt. I hope it can be similar than the real one. Check it on my website textbox. Thanks!
On 11 Mar 2009, at 8:21 pm Andrés wrote:
I’ve got a feeling that the new shirt is going to be an all-white one.
Or maybe that’s how I’d like it to be.
On 28 Mar 2009, at 5:35 pm Marvin Nash wrote:
Finally !!
An England shirt that doesn’t look like someone has run through an art storeroom in a white shirt covered in glue!
Beauty is Simple, Simlicity is Beautiful.
Marvin Nash
Manchester
On 28 Mar 2009, at 10:30 pm john Behets wrote:
Congratulations Umbro! This the kit I’ve been saying the England team should have for years. The original international team in a pure clean stylish outfit. I love the British racing green goalkeeper kit also. Inspired stuff. How about making it the first fairtrade label football shirt also ?
John, Queens Park, London.
On 28 Mar 2009, at 10:50 pm Ian Joddrell wrote:
Aitor is the man. . Iam proud of my massey lane brother from another mother! All those years watching England in the shed, never thought he would end up being the shirt designer! Proud of you dude! Keep an eye on this man everyone, he will never cease to amaze you! Putting Burnley back on the map! Up the Clarets! Up to umbro! And finally up to AITOR!
On 27 May 2009, at 2:59 am The new England Kit Working with Capello Umbro Blog | Shed Kits wrote:
[...] The new England Kit Working with Capello Umbro Blog Posted by root 22 hours ago (http://blog.umbro.com) All those years watching england in the shed never thought he would end up being the shirt some rights reserved umbro blog is powered by wordpress Discuss | Bury | News | the new england kit working with capello umbro blog [...]