In news that will surprise no football fan, Arsenal appear to be releasing yet another new kit collection.
In recent years the Gunners have morphed into a designer sportswear company with an associated football team.
Kit manufacturer Adidas have been churning out so much merchandise that Arsenal are legitimately now their own fashion brand.
The latest offering, which has been leaked online by Footy Headlines , sees the north London football team link up with fashion designer Stella McCartney.
McCartney has gone for an "animal-inspired" graphic design on a range of shirts, hoodies, leggings and trainers.
The inner collar of the shirt says ‘Victory Through Harmony’, a phrase based on Arsenal club motto ‘Victoria Concordia Crescit’.
McCartney is a partner of Adidas and has previously worked with Manchester United Paul Pogba to launch his signature Predator football boots.
It seems unlikely that McCartney’s latest offering will make its way onto the pitch at the Emirates Stadium – although United’s zebra third kit shows anything is possible.
However, it has got us thinking about the most notable football club kit collaborations. Here are Mirror Football’s favourites.
Arsenal x TfL
Arsenal are no strangers to zany kit creations. In fact, it was only a few months ago when they were announcing a collab with Transport for London.
The shirt, which is worn pre-match by players, features a blue pattern reminiscent of a seat on the Piccadilly Line tube, while fans can also wear a gilet (£90) or tracksuit bottoms (£45) with a TfL logo on them.
It was launched via creepy pictures of some of the club’s stars wearing masks of their own faces in Arsenal tube station.
The station is the only one in London named after a football club, having been renamed from Gillespie Road back in 1932.
Napoli x EA7
Napoli are a team not afraid to experiment with their kit, with the Italian club frequently launching new iterations.
They have 11 different shirts for the 2021/22 campaign, with a special edition kit released for Halloween featuring a black cobweb design.
Napoli’s merchandise is made by Giorgio Armani-offshoot EA7, who have created three separate shirts in honour of club legend Diego Maradona.
EA7 have dipped into sport by designing clothes for summer and winter Olympics teams and tennis players, but football shirts are a new venture.
Atletico Madrid x Columbia Pictures
The 2003/04 season was an interesting one for Atletico Madrid, due to the fact the club had signed a sponsorship agreement with film company Columbia Pictures.
Atleti signed up to change their main shirt sponsor whenever a new film came out.
That resulted in some bizarre but eye-catching shirts worn by the likes of Fernando Torres.
Peter Pan, Spiderman, S.W.A.T and Hellboy were just a few of the films worn on the front of the classic red and white striped Atleti top that season.
Meanwhile, the likes of Samuel L. Jackson, Harrison Ford and Will Smith all posed for pictures with the Atleti shirt.
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Paris Saint-Germain x Michael Jordan
Legendary basketball player Michael Jordan announced a link up with PSG back in 2018.
The Jordan brand is owned by PSG kit manufacturer Nike, who wanted to leverage the American to turn the French side into “one of the biggest global sports brands”, according to PSG chairman Nasser Al-Khelaifi.
The deal was for Nike’s Jordan brand to create PSG’ Champions League kit until the end of the current season.
The main difference between the normal kit and the Jordan one is the iconic logo going onto the top alongside the PSG club crest.
Real Madrid x Yohji Yamamoto
Spanish giants Real Madrid have an association with Japanese designer Yohji Yamamoto, who has created some eye-catching shirts over the years.
The most iconic was the 2014/15 Real third kit – a black top with a white dragon on the front.
The link-up has returned for the 2021/22 season, with a special edition Adidas Y-3 design, once again in black and white, but this time with a more subtle design.
Adidas x Humanrace
Arsenal, Bayern Munich, Juventus, Manchester United and Real Madrid all released special edition kits in October 2020 due to Adidas’ collaboration with Humanrace.
Humanrace’s creative director is Pharrell Williams, who helped create a range of eye-catching pre-match shirts.
The shirts all have hand-painted designs and are, according to Pharrell, “symbols of the five club’s legacies and a true celebration of the universality of sport.”
Arsenal’s is a garish tie-dye style of yellow and blue, while United’s is a white background with a blue pattern.
Ajax x Bob Marley
Ajax released a kit inspired by legendary reggae artist Bob Marley last summer and were immediately inundated with orders.
The kit, which features three little birds in red, yellow and green on the back, went viral on social media.
Marley’s song ‘Three Little Birds’ was adopted by Ajax fans and the collaboration was a great fit.
Ajax wore the kit in an Eredivisie game against PEC Zwolle, but UEFA prevented them from using it in Champions League matches.
