Not only did bespoke tailor Charlie Allen play his part in the design of the new England shirt, he was also responsible for the smart new Anthem Jackets that the players will wear for the pre-match presentations. He tells football journalist Chris Hunt how proud he will feel when the players first walk onto the turf of Wembley Stadium wearing them on March 28.

Chris: Are you looking forward to seeing the players wear the new England shirt for the first time?

Charlie: “It was a dream to be involved and when I saw the players wearing it for the photo call, it finally all started to seem quite real. But I don’t think it will fully sink in until I see the team walk out onto the Wembley wearing the smart new Anthem Jackets that I designed for them.”

Chris: What’s the story behind the Anthem Jacket?

Charlie: “Playing a part in the design of the new England kit has been an honour, but I’m just as excited about the Anthem Jacket, which I designed for the team to wear when the national anthem is being played. The Anthem Jacket is almost 100 per cent mine and it is a very pure garment. It started off as a sports jacket and eventually it morphed into a bomber jacket. The badge on it is tonal and it’s got a proper jacket collar on it that’s turned up. It did have buttons on it to start with and a jacket cuff, but now it has a zip on it so it looks much more sporty and a more knitted cuff.”

Chris: So it’s a bit more than just a tracksuit?

Charlie: “It’s very hard to explain what it looks like so you’ll have to judge it for yourself on March 28, and then I think you will understand why and how it got developed. It’s all about looking smart in the line-up – the whole thing is about smartness.”

Chris: And how will you feel when you see the players wearing the jackets when ‘God Save The Queen’ is being played?

Charlie: “To have the national anthem played for you at Wembley must be such a fantastic thing and it is one of my dreams. I was lucky enough to have the anthem played for me many years ago when I represented England as a designer and won an international award for Linen Designer Of The Year – but imagine what it must be like listening to it standing on the Wembley pitch in front of 90,000 flag-waving fans.”

Busy day on the blog Tomorrow. Firstly, Chris Hunt speaks to Aitor Throup about how the design team went in search of motivation. Secondly, we speak to Martin Protheroa, Umbro’s Senior Vice President, about just how important the new England strip is to Umbro. Thirdly, we will post up information about Umbro’s ‘Energy Space’ opening in London’s Shoreditch on Sunday. And finally, we introduce you to youtube heroes, Katers 17 and Daveyboyz…