As a big football fan, bespoke tailor Charlie Allen was delighted when Umbro asked him to consult on the design of the new England kit. But as he tells journalist Chris Hunt, there aren’t too many football fans in the rarefied world of fashion.

Chris: You’ve admitted that working on the new England shirt was a great thrill for you, but football fans are few and far between in the world of fashion, aren’t they?

Charlie: “Fashion and football don’t really go together as far as the people who work in fashion are concerned, so being a big fan of the beautiful game, I was always forced to hide it in the closet a bit. Fashion people tended to shun football because of the yob culture that they believed was associated with the game. But the sport is much more gentrified now and it has finally become acceptable to be a football fan.”

Chris: As a big fan of the game, are you a student of classic football kit design?

Charlie: “I’m a big Arsenal fan, I’ve got to say that, and when I got involved with the design of the England kit I was able to go back and look at many of the old England and Arsenal kits that I have in my collection – I have a lot of vintage shirts from the Sixties and Seventies, the ones that that the players used to wear – they were made from Aertex and all sorts of fabrics like that.”

Chris: What would be your favourite England kit from the past?

Charlie: “It would have to be the one they wore for Mexico ’70. The Seventies were really the purest and most inspirational time – teams were so well turned out then and everything was fitted. I think that must have been the last time when football kits were fitted. The Seventies period would really be my inspiration – and that’s when I started designing at college and finding out about design cut. In the Eighties it all started to be about big shapes and Dallas shoulders, but there was a sense of style about the Sixties and Seventies. I think that’s why we’ve gone back to square one with this new kit.”

Chris: As a man of style and taste, will we see you wearing the new England kit yourself?

Charlie: “I keep asking if I can I have one now, but Umbro say I have to wait for the launch. The whole project has been top secret and as I haven’t been allowed to talk about my involvement with the new shirt, keeping quiet has been the most difficult thing. I’d just love to tell people all about what I’ve been involved with, but I haven’t been able to. I can’t wait until it’s unveiled on March 28 so I can actually put it on myself.”

As a huge football fan brought up on the terraces of Burnley’s Turf Moor, tomorrow, Creative Consultant Aitor Throup tells journalist Chris Hunt just how thrilling it has been to be involved with the design of the new England kit.