RETRO ADIDAS KITS REBOOTED BY CAL GILDART
I've always been interested in football kit design, and I've always made an effort to come up with my own stuff; I don't want to be one of those who makes hollow claims that they could do better. Mind you, it's only recently that I've started sharing my designs—I'm not quite sure why, though. I'm not really one for the limelight. I'm fond of classic and plain kit designs, and there are still some nice, vintage-inspired strips out there, but they're just ruined by that necessary evil: sponsors.
What inspired me with the adidas project was that their late '80s and early '90s geometric-patterned shirts are, quite frankly, awful, yet they're among the most fondly remembered and sought after shirts in football. In some ways, the shirts capture the zeitgeist of when football started to take note of the fashion aspect that had crept onto the terraces and used that to—with hindsight—properly kick off the replica-shirt market.
I wanted replicate that, so I came up with some of my own patterns in the mould of those efforts. My favourite would probably be the Fiorentina shirt, on which the pattern is based upon the shape of their badge but repeats to make an almost-psychedelic wave effect. I quite like the Germany away strip, too, though it may be a little close to orange for their liking.
Cal is on Twitter @calgildart.