Arsenal launched their new primary kit this morning.
Following the same template as most of adidas’s major contracts, the strip has a few forebears from the Gunners’ kit can(n)on.
The three adidas stripes are rendered in navy on white for the first time since the 1990-92 strip; the dark blue panels on the shorts kind of call to mind that kit’s predecessor, 1988-90, which was also the last home shirt to feature a cannon rather than the full crest; and the white side panels are reminiscent of the 1998-2000 shirt (and also that of 2021-22, which incidentally had navy stripes on red).
That’s par for the course in the world of modern kit design, but this new offering will of course live or die by what it can bring. We asked Johnathan Rudland, who runs the Arsenal Shirt Collection account on Twitter, for his views. Take it away, Johnathan:
Return of the Cannon!
At first there seems to be too much white for an Arsenal shirt, bringing back nervous energy of a puma inspired throwback or was it a tribute to Mikel Arteta’s final season as a player…
But, before we go down the rabbit warren of football shirt Twitter bingo – we always know our home shirt is in safe hands with adidas and it’s all in the details.
The designers know the value of the shirt and respect the traditions of the club while giving supporters something different the wear each season!
When it comes to details, the obvious change for this season is the badge on our chests will be a cannon for the first time since 1989-90 season, the Arsenal marketing team have done extensive consultation with fans around what logos they identify with.
We know this splits our fanbase, but one thing that remains is that the cannon, whichever direction it faces, will always be The Arsenal.
Again, blue returns on the shirt in addition to the traditional red and white, we expect giving it a flash of energy. Paired with white shorts and solid red socks, it completes the look which Gooners across the world will hope this time next year will be lifting the Premier League trophy!
Not a fan. I don’t mind the blue stripes, but the flashes on the body and the shorts aren’t great. It would have been a fitting tribute to 1990-92 if they had excluded the white side panels. Also kind of weird to see no adidas stripes on the shorts or socks.
It makes sense that they’re going with the global template, but I agree with the other commenters on various sites it might be a bit too much white. Love the cannon, though.
I do think adidas peaked with the first set already, and I’m quite happy I got the bruised banana redux off eBay recently, because while the away/third offerings have been hit or miss, this seasons away was a big miss for sure
Hey, I just liked your comment on FH! (Arsenal Carl)
Don’t mind it all, except that the blue is far too light a shade for me – needs to be a darker navy.