Unearthing Rangers’ Lost 1993-94 Away Kit: A Football Fashion Detective Story
In the world of football-kit enthusiasts, there are few things more exciting than uncovering a ‘lost’ design – a concept that never made it to the pitch but holds a fascinating place in a club’s visual history. Recently, a researcher and a group of passionate enthusiasts came together to solve one such mystery: the original away kit concept for Rangers FC’s 1993-94 season.
The Known History
For years, Rangers fans have been familiar with the navy and orange away kit that the team sported during the 1993-94 season. This adidas-designed kit has become iconic in its own right, a bold departure from the club’s traditional colours. However, whispers and fragmented memories suggested that this wasn’t the original plan for the Gers’ alternate strip that year.
The Search Begins
The hunt for the elusive Rangers 1993-94 away kit prototype began with Gary Walker, a dedicated football kit collector and researcher. The search was sparked by recollections of a BBC 2 programme called Standing Room Only that aired in September 1993, where an adidas executive and designers reportedly showcased prototype designs for upcoming football kits, including a never-before-seen Rangers away concept.
A Collaborative Effort
As the investigation progressed, it evolved into a collaborative effort involving various kit aficionados, each contributing their unique expertise and resources. Gary’s investigation spanned multiple channels, exploring various avenues that each presented their own challenges and possibilities.
The search involved combing through BBC archives, navigating decades of programming in search of the right footage. The British Film Institute (BFI) was also explored, with its extensive collections offering potential clues. Digital outlets and social media platforms proved invaluable, allowing for the rapid sharing of information and the gathering of leads from unexpected sources. Even the adidas archives in Germany were contacted in the hope of uncovering prototype designs or documentation.
A crucial breakthrough came when Jason Sproule contributed his memories of the kit’s appearance. This vital information helped narrow the search parameters and allowed for the creation of mock-ups, providing a clearer picture of what to look for.
As updates were shared on social media, this collaborative approach not only expanded the scope of the search but also created a community invested in solving the mystery.
The Breakthrough
The pivotal moment in this kit detective story came when Marco Vidoretti saw Gary’s tweets about the search. Marco managed to find the digital copies he made from his VHS recordings of the BBC show, and showcase the actual footage. This was no small feat, considering the age of the material and the specificity of the content. Marco’s footage provided the first visual confirmation of both the Rangers concept, sending ripples of excitement through the football kit community.
The Reveal
The footage and still images shared by Marco unveiled a treasure trove of unreleased kit designs, offering a fascinating glimpse into the world of football fashion design in the early 1990s.
For Rangers, the prototype away kit featured a white jersey adorned with a St Andrew’s saltire design, ingeniously incorporating the Rangers tartan that had been officially registered by the club in 1989. This bold pattern was complemented by a vibrant red flash on the shoulders and edges, creating a distinctive and eye-catching look. The shorts were perhaps the most daring element, featuring an all-over tartan pattern. Although not visible in the footage, there were rumours of red socks completing the ensemble.
Interestingly, the footage didn’t stop at Rangers. It also showcased several home and away designs for Liverpool, providing insight into the creative process behind one of England’s most iconic clubs. These designs, which never made it to production, offer an intriguing what-if scenario for Liverpool supporters and kit enthusiasts alike.
Additionally, the adidas representatives mentioned a striking black and gold design for Arsenal, which had been rejected by then-manager George Graham.
In the rediscovered footage, the adidas representatives revealed that when presented with the tartan-heavy design, Rangers expressed nervousness about using such a bold pattern for their away kit. This feedback prompted adidas to take an interesting approach in response.
Rather than abandoning the tartan concept entirely, Adidas cleverly incorporated it into Rangers’ merchandise and training wear for that season. The club released a training kit with shorts sporting the same tartan pattern, as well as a training top that boldly embraced the tartan design across its entirety, accented by the adidas wordmark on the collar and a large trefoil logo centred on the shirt.
This all-tartan training tee proved to be a hit, quickly selling out. Further cementing the tartan’s place in the Rangers’ visual identity that year, adidas also produced a reversible bomber jacket featuring the distinctive pattern.
This strategic move by adidas to introduce the tartan design through soccer-related wear allowed them to gauge fan reaction and potentially pave the way for more extensive use of the pattern in future designs. The popularity of items like the all-tartan training tee demonstrated that while the club might have been hesitant to use such a bold design for the away kit, the fans were certainly receptive to the concept.
The story of these unreleased kit designs and their influence on clubs’ wider merchandise ranges offers a fascinating glimpse into the complex interplay between club identity, fan preferences, and commercial strategies in football kit design of the early 1990s. It also highlights the adaptability of designers in finding alternative ways to introduce innovative concepts when faced with initial hesitation from clubs.
As exciting as these revelations are, there’s more to come. Stay tuned for more insights into this golden era of football fashion as we will explore the Liverpool designs.
Any chance of an idea what alternatives Liverpool were looking at? I’d heard instead of the three diagonal bold stripes on the right shoulder they were looking at vertical stripes?
So when will we see the rest of it?
Also, I am once again asking for the next instalment of the adidas gk kit history
Brilliant post that I have missed until today.
It will be nice to see that into modern kits.
Do you have any pictures of the training items mentioned in the article ?
Excited to see the Liverpool designs!