Nike designs for kits at a level that understands global football’s massive influence on local culture.
Maybe no other sport has the scale of the beautiful game, whether that scale measures fandom or the environmental footprint it leaves behind.
By both measures, Nike serves a new generation of global football fans by combining attentive, original club designs with lower-carbon materials.
In designing for the future through Move to Zero, Nike uses recycled polyester made from plastic water bottles, an approach the company has used to produce its football kits since 2010.
Recycled polyester reduces carbon emissions by up to 30% compared to virgin polyester, helping to lessen the kits’ environmental impact.
Of course, Nike’s creativity in kit design is still front and centre. The away kit designs highlight different touchpoints of each club’s identity through local lore, symbolic architecture, rich colour palettes and more. Nike football kits comment on the culture for the modern fan, here and now.
Liverpool’s 2021-22 away kit borrows from the cult classic 1996-97 kit in its stone white base.
The colour is also symbolic of The Three Graces, the collection of buildings that comprise the city’s iconic skyline.
The striping in the collar and the sock are consistent with the bright crimson details of the club’s home kits. On the nape of the neck, the 96-emblem encased by the eternal flames sits proudly in memory of the 96 children, women and men who lost their lives at Hillsborough.
“I think the fans will love this one,” says midfielder Curtis Jones. “It’s a perfect reflection of the city and you can see the inspiration throughout the design with a throwback to the ’90s.”
The Liverpool F.C. 2021-22 away kits release July 8 to Nike Members and July 15 at select retailers.