University Of Salford students Liam, Sam, Rachel and Kate

We’re very proud of our Manchester roots here at Umbro, whether it’s through our Tailored In Manchester focus on local bands, our Umbro Industries bursary scheme or our links with Manchester City. Recently, we also got involved with one of our local universities, inviting design students at the University Of Salford to create promotional ideas based on the Tailored By England launch of our England Home shirt.

Umbro were invited down to the University to judge the ideas that the team came up with, and we were mightily impressed with the concepts that the ten groups had created. So much so, that we had to pick two winners from the group instead of the proposed one. We invited the two winning teams – Liam and Sam, plus Rachel and Kate (pictured above) – down to our Dale Street studio for a look around one of our creative spaces, and also gave them all an England shirt for their efforts.

Their course leader, John Rooney, was also very impressed with the ideas that his students came up with after being inspired by Umbro. He said: “The students responded really well to the brief set by the team at  Umbro, it was testament to the creativity in the whole group that two  winners were chosen instead of just one. I felt that the project was a real success, and the feedback and support from the team at Umbro was a key factor in making this project work so well.”

So what did the winning teams come up with? Here’s a peak at the ideas they came up with for Tailored By England, we’re sure you’ll agree that there’s some pretty smart stuff here…

Liam and Sam’s idea was built around the idea of a group of statues that would be placed at various points around England. The statues would be made from clear plastic, and filled with the England home shirt, emphasizing how the England team are part of all of us. The shirts would be placed in areas with cultural and sporting significance, and would depict players celebrating goals – Alan Shearer outside Wembley for instance, or Beckham at Crosby Beach. Pictured here are some of the sketches that Liam and Sam created for their campaign.

Rachel and Kate, our other winners, came up with the idea of members of the public being pictured wearing the England home shirt under their everyday uniforms, showing that under every doctor, policeman or lollipop lady is an England fan. Here’s a shot of one of their sketches:

Both groups also created a whole range of apps and other elements alongside their ideas, and both impressed with the simple, direct message they had at the heart of their ideas. Great work from all involved!