Umbro founder Harold Humphreys was born on this day in 1902, the man who brought football and fashion together and introduced tailoring to the world of sport. Over the years, Umbro have crafted some of the most iconic moments in football’s history, kits and products that continue to influence the sport today. It’s these items that we’re celebrating in our Icons Reissued collection.

A premium collection of some of our most iconic products, reproduced stitch by stitch from the original designs, Icons Reissued are steeped in history and the story of football, but they also look great as modern designs. There’s four items in the Icons Reissued collection, here’s a little bit on them all:

Icons Reissued 1966 Anthem Jacket

Crafted from a Victoria blue stonewash twill, this Anthem jacket will forever be associated with English football’s greatest every victory. With the England crest proudly embroidered on the chest, the jacket also has red, white and blue ribbed trim on the collar, cuffs and hem.

Icons Reissued Mexico 1977 Jersey

Another item forever associated with classic England footballing moments, the Mexico 70 jersey looks just as good today as it did over 40 years ago! With a classic crew neck collar, the shirt is crafted from the same ribbed fabric as the original, and features a reproduction of the ‘Choice Of Champions’ screen print that featured on the hem of the original shirts.

Icons Reissued Drill Top

The original inspiration for our celebrated New Blue collection, the classic Umbro drill top was a part of every player’s wardrobe and even found its way onto the stage at one of the biggest gigs to ever take place in Manchester. Recreated stitch for stitch, the drill top features an oversized Umbro logo on the chest, and is crafted from the same washed cotton twill as the original.

Icons Reissued Taped Track Jacket

We’ve recreated the look of the taped track jacket many times, but this is the original that they’re all inspired by! With the same ribbed taping down the sleeves as the original, the Icons Reissued track jacket features a subtle Umbro logo on the chest.

We’re really excited by the Icons Reissued collection, and we’re sure you’re going to be impressed when you see it up close. There’s more pictures over on our Flickr stream, or you can head straight over to Umbro.com now for more details. Happy birthday, Harold Humpreys!

Tailored by Umbro, and worn with pride by the most successful team in Chile’s history, these are the new home and away shirts for Colo Colo. The shirts, in the club’s traditional colours of white for home and black for away, will be worn by Los Albos throughout 2011. The club, whose full name is Club Social Y Deportivo Colo-Colo, currently stand top of the Chilean Primera Division as they battle for another title to add to their haul.

The new football shirts, designed by Umbro, have been inspired by the club’s original jersey designs from the 1920s. Following the Umbro Tailored philosophy, the shirts have a classic, simple look but are full of innovative design elements such as a special stretch fabric to aid movement. Along with a special mesh on the back of the shirts to aid breathability, it’ll ensure that players and fans can look good and feel great at the same time.

Revealed this week, the shirts will be available to buy across Chile. Be sure to check out all our football shirts on the Umbro website for the latest Tailored creations!

Revealed by the club just in time for their opening Championship fixture at the weekend, this is the new Nottingham Forest Away shirt, Tailored by Umbro for 2010/2011. Unfortunately, the kit couldn’t stop Forest losing 1-0 to Burnley on Saturday, but we’re sure the kit will bring the club plenty of luck as they aim for promotion from England‘s second tier.

The new away shirt, in a clean, simple white with red trim, should ensure that Forest look smart on their travels. Built from 100% polyester to keep the shirt light and breathable, Forest Away also has a two-colour v-neck for comfort and a ventilated side-seam to increase movement. With the club’s iconic crest, sponsor logo and the Umbro double diamond all in sharp red, the kit stands out whilst maintaining a clean, simple feel.

Alongside the shirt, the kit continues with the shorts, shaped to provide comfort to players on the pitch, in red with a white side-stripe. Socks are white with a red turnover top.
Altogether they add up to a kit that we hope both fans and players can admire as Nottingham Forest aim for success in the Championship this season.

As we start to look forward to the new football season more and more – only a week and a bit away for the Football League, and another week after that for the Premier – we thought we’d help to build up the buzz by having a Friday giveaway.

We’ve got loads of signed shirts from past eras in our special cupboard, and we thought they’d be better off in your hands – so we’re giving them away. It’s a real mixed bag, with a whole host of different shirts, signed by individual players or even complete teams. Here’s a full run down of what we’ve got to offer:

2 x England 2007/2009 home shirts signed by the full women’s team

Sweden 2005/06 shirt signed by the full team

Hull City 2008/09 shirt signed by Geovanni

3 x Olympique Lyonnais 2006/08 shirt shirt by Juninho

3 x Besiktas 2006/07 shirts signed by the full team (1 home, two away)

4 x Norway 2005/06 shirts signed by the full team

West Bromwich Away 2007/08 shirt signed by a group of players

Nottingham Forest 2007/08 shirt signed by the full team

Camisa Peñarol shirt signed by the full team

If you want to win one of these shirts, here’s what you’ve got to do: first of all, you need to be signed up to Twitter and following Umbro. Then, all you need to do is retweet the message about this competition we’ve sent out, and include which shirt you’d like to win. It’s nice and simple, and it’ll be first come, first served, so you best be quick if you want to win!

As the club look for promotion from the Championship in 2010/2011, Nottingham Forest have unveiled their new home kit for the forthcoming season. Tailored by Umbro by exploring the club’s history and the demands of their players and fans, we’ve come up with a clean, classic-looking kit that will ensure that Forest are one of the most stylish teams in the division this season.

The shirt, in Forest’s traditional garibaldi red with a darker shadow stripe on the front panel, has a classic crew neck for simple style and comfort. Made from 100% polyester to ensure that the shirt is lightweight and breathable, it also features a breathable channel seam to increase ventilation.

Elsewhere the club’s crest, complete with the two stars which mark Forest’s European Cup triumphs, has been repositioned slightly to maintain the shirts clean aesthetic, with a simple white Umbro logo mirroring the crest. The tailored ideology continues throughout the shorts, which are shaped to provide extra comfort for the players, and the socks, which are red with a white contrast turnover top.

Altogether, it all adds up to a kit which Forest’s fans and players will be proud to wear as they battle for Championship success this season.

As they look forward to another season in the Spanish top flight, Athletic Club de Bilbao have just revealed their new home strip, Tailored by Umbro. Designed for the Basque team for the 2010/2011 season, the home and goalkeeper kits have been crafted by us to reflect the club’s unique history and culture, whilst also fitting the demands of players and fans.

Founded by locals and British migrant workers travelling to the region in the late 19th century, Athletic Club have maintained this link through their Anglicised name and team colours, inspired by Sunderland and Southamptons’s red and white stripes.

Also fiercely proud of their Basque identity, the team has constantly maintained strong links with the unique language and culture of the region throughout their history. This strong local identity has helped Athletic Club maintain a strong position in La Liga, where they are one of only a few clubs to have never been relegated from Spain’s top division.

With this particular history in mind, the new Athletic Club home shirt is in the club’s traditional vermillion and white stripes, with the modern touch of a ‘zig-zag’ warp knit design. Constructed from 100% polyester to provide ventilation, the shirt also features a smart, traditional-style collar complete with a single ergonomically-shaped button, all of which is designed for comfort and style.

This care and attention continues with the club’s home goalkeeper kit, which has also been revealed. In sky blue with a subtle shadow stripe, this shirt features a simple crew neck, ribbed cuffs for protection and a darker navy blue on the shoulders and sleeves.

Both shirts also feature elements designed specifically with Athletic Club’s history in mind. The back neck label features the Basque phrase ‘Zu Zara Nagusia’, which translates as ‘you are the best’, whilst on the reverse of the collar the club’s Centenary ‘dancer’ logo is proudly displayed.

With all these elements combined, Athletic Club Bilbao can be proud of their new home strip as they step out for the 2010/2011 season. If you want to see more pictures of the new home strip, there’s a complete gallery here on our Flickr stream. Also, check out the video below to see Athletic Club’s players seeing the kit for the first time, and a behind the scenes look at the photoshoot:

After the club revealed their new home and away shirts last week, we thought that you might want to take a closer look at the new Hearts kits for the forthcoming 2010/2011 season.

As they prepared to battle it out in the Scottish Premier League next season, Hearts will be taking to the field in these stylish shirts, Tailored by Umbro to give them the best possible advantage. The home shirt, in the club’s traditional claret and white with a striking penguin stripe in the centre, is a unique design in British league football this year.

With a stacked logo and Umbro diamond, the shirt maintains a clean, sharp look throughout, but with all the technical elements that top players expect. With a ribbed v-neck collar offering comfort, 100& polyester keeping the shirt lightweight and corded channel seams with a mesh vent providing ventilation, the kit will ensure that players and fans will look stylish but can concentrate on the action.

For their away shirt, Hearts have chosen sharp sky blue and white stripes, complete with a smart, classic-style collar and ergonomically-shaped single button. With a raglan sleeve providing increased comfort, the printed stripe detail is set off by the Umbro diamond in the club’s claret home colour, ensuring that a little bit of home travels with the club wherever they go!

The attention to detail in the new Tailored kits continues through into the shorts, which feature a wide panel mirroring the colours of the shirt, and continued down into the socks. Altogether, it all adds up into a kit that Hearts fans and players can be proud of as they aim for SPL success this season.

As they return to the Premier League under manager Roberto Di Matteo for the 2010/11 season, West Bromwich Albion will be Tailored by Umbro, with a pair of smart, stylish kits for home and away.

In the club’s traditional navy blue and white stripes, West Brom’s home shirt features some subtle touches to make it the perfect fit for a modern footballer. The shirt is constructed from 100% polyester, making it lightweight and breathable, with a mesh-vent seam under the arm aiding ventilation.

The stripes feature a ‘zig zag’ warp knit design, giving a modern touch to the Baggies’ classic design. The shirt also features a smart, classic-style collar, which again is brought up to date with an ergonomically-shaped button that is designed for comfort and ease of use.

The simple, elegent design continues with West Brom’s new away kit. In black with a subtle shadow stripe, the away shirt also features a tonal monochrome version of the club’s iconic crest. A corded channel seam disguises concealed mesh ventilation under the arms, while a forward shoulder seam and simple crew neck offers the comfort that both players and fans expect.

Both home and away, West Brom are sure to be one of the most stylish teams in the Premier League this season. Tailored by Umbro, they’ll give Roberto Di Matteo’s exciting, attacking side the smart, classy look they deserve as they return to England’s top flight.

Even though we’re in between football seasons, there’s still plenty for football fans to be singing about at the moment. There’s the massive events over in South Africa of course, and whether your team has bombed out already or is gliding purposefully towards the final, you should be able to put together a song to mark the occasion. Even at the domestic level, teams are starting to get back into training, the rumour mill is starting to click into gear and players are going to be snapped up soon, so there’s plenty of reasons to work on some new tunes for the coming season.

That’s why we wanted you to show us what you’ve come up with using our Umbro Chants app. If you’ve got an iPhone, you can download the app for the free and start recording your ideas. Best of all, you can then send them on to your friends to hear, so why not pass on your best efforts to us here at Umbro so we can give them a listen? Email them to us on blog@umbro.com and we’ll put up the best ones here on the blog for everyone to hear!

Following hot on the heels of the Sunderland shirt that was revealed earlier today, we can show you the new Blackburn Rovers home strip, which will be worn by the Lancashire team throughout the 2010/11 season. Another kit that follows the Tailored by Umbro principles, you’ll see from the picture above that Rovers will have a clean, smart look for the new season.

Featuring Rovers’ traditional blue and white halved colours and with a blue and white trim on the sleeve, the kit is completed by white shorts plus blue and white socks. For more details and information on when you’ll be able to get the new kit, check out the Blackburn Rovers website.