Templates of Worship – adidas ‘Arsenal’

Often, a new design is first seen worn by countries at a major tournament before the following season sees it rolled out among a manufacturer’s club roster (as an aside, the 2022 World Cup was interesting in that Nike’s sides had 2022 templates whereas adidas gave an insight what their 2023 approach would be).

The style we are looking at here is the reversal of that, though – and with a gap of two years between its premiering on the club and international scenes, respectively.

Having had two very similar home shirts during their first four seasons with adidas, Arsenal’s new primary strip for 1990-91 was a further evolution.

As well as a weave in the fabric featuring the same distorted paralleologram repeated, there was a mottled effect on the red body while the raglan sleeves met at the back.

The kit would be worn as the Gunners won the English league title for the second time in three seasons – losing just one match – with the shirt gaining a scroll under the crest for 1991-92 to mark the achievement.

Come 1992, Arsenal were moving on to the Equipment era and a design the same as that which Germany would don at Euro 92, but the outgoing look was to have a second life, primarily in the international field. The fact that the teamwear version was officially called ‘Arsenal’ in the adidas catalogue was a throwback of sorts – the likes of Umbro and Bukta had often used it as shorthand for jerseys with contrasting sleeves, even though Aston Villa had had it for few decades before Arsenal adopted it in 1933.

Yugoslavia had been meant to have the blue and white version at Euro 92 but they were unable to participate in the competition due to the political situation there. Another country experiencing existential change was Russia.

The former USSR had qualified for Euro 92 and the same team appeared at the finals under the Commonwealth of Independent States banner, wearing the adidas Equipment-B design.

With the Soviet countries competing under their own steam, Russia had worn the previous CIS kit in their opening World Cup qualifier against Iceland but the match against Luxembourg saw them in long-sleeved white and blue ‘Arsenal’ shirts, albeit with the new flag crudely applied over the trefoil.

That proved to be a one-off as Russia were about to sign a deal with Reebok, but another country soon to split – Czechoslovakia – also adopted the design. Apart from Arsenal, they were the only other team to wear the red/white version, as well as donning a reversal for their change strip – both Norway and Russia would do similar for the subsequent Arsenal home kits.

Following the reversion back to the Czech Republic and Slovakia, the team would play out the remainder of its World Cup qualifiers as the Representation of Czechs and Slovaks and another design associated with Arsenal would be employed – a blue/white version of the ‘bruised banana’, the official name being ‘Italia’.

Then, after the split, Slovakia’s first game as an independent country against the United Arab Emirates saw them in a blue version before switching to Le Coq Sportif.

The RCS were in the same qualifying group as Wales and that group also featured the only non-catalogue colourways. Romania are of course renowned for wearing a wide variety of shirts during the 1980s and 1990s and a yellow and blue edition of the ‘Arsenal’ found its way into their kitroom, initially without a crest as they moved away from the communist era.

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There was a bit of discord between the golden shade of the shirts and the paler yellow of the shorts and socks as well as a clashing of blues.

One of the rarest of all iterations was the red and yellow Romania change kit, worn against Ecuador in early 1993 (thanks to Rodrigo Lara Weisson for making us aware). Indeed, the large quantities of yellow meant that the home side, having emerged from the dressing room in their usual strip of yellow shirts, blue shorts and red socks, quickly switched to white shirts.

Romania’s kits are in that, on the other versions, the white parts – whether body or sleeves – didn’t have the mottled effect but it was present on both sections for their kits.

By 1994 and the World Cup, Romania had moved on to adidas Equipment stylings.

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By this stage, Yugoslavia were back in world football – albeit now just Serbia and Montenegro – and the 1992 kits were called upon, with the new crest added.

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The strips would continue to be used until 1996, six years after Arsenal had first debuted the design.

We did say ‘primarily in the international field’ with regard to the use of the ‘Arsenal’ after Arsenal – there are a couple of German club instances.

Bayer Leverkusen had three – red/white home, white/red away and blue/white third – again thanks to Jon Jones and Ray Hyland for reminding me of kits I had written about for Halbvier magazine but had forgotten.

Dynamo Dresden, normally yellow and black, had ‘Arsenal’ for their away – the only green/white form we know of.

Now, there is perhaps a chance that you are shouting at your screen that Dresden’s kit was the same as Hibernian of Scotland – but, to quote Roy Walker from Catchphrase, that’s good but it’s not right.

An upcoming article will explain why.