Tomorrow (31/07/09) marks the start of pre-order for the brand new City away kit – which will go on general release on August 15th. As pictured above, it’s the black kit which references the Manchester Bee – let’s remind ourselves what David Blanch, the kit designer had to say:

All of the kits have a resonance in some way with both the club and the city. The away kit was partly inspired by the Manchester’ Bee’s industrious connotations and colour symbolism; which for me was power, strength and confodence.

As with the home kit, colour balance is a really important factor. That said the away kit needed to look both bold and imposing. We chose to use the gold from the crest and use it at the shoulders to focus the upper body to open up the chest and define the upper torso. The rest of it is completely black. In relation to the black, this creates a completely different personality to the home shirt but both speak about the club’s heritage.

And here’s a little more about that neck opening:

The neckline has an association with the home kit but it’s slightly different as it has a concealed neck line opening. We’re not using buttons; we’re using a lightweight closure so you can either have it open for more ventilation or closed for a smarter look.

Pre-orders on the club website begin from 12pm.