The Premier League season is coming up, and that means it’s time for the new home kits to be unveiled. Clubs are now revealing the kits to players and capturing their reactions, which usually feature forced grins and variations of the line “Yeah, that’s nice, that is”. An event plagued with a fair deal of predictability and drama, However, not all kits receive positive reviews, and sometimes the designs can leave much to be desired.
One shirt that has generated some negative attention is the Southampton kit. Despite featuring the Southampton logo and players wearing it at the games, it is argued that it doesn’t really reflect the club. There’s also criticism towards the Wolves’ kit; the design seems like it’s done by someone who is new to football shirt designing, being difficult to distinguish from other club shirts.
As for West Ham, there is critique that their new kit design is practically the same as last season. While it is indeed a simple and clean design, it’s considered unfair for fans to pay for essentially the same kit again, with the only obvious difference being a slightly different collar. For Manchester City’s kit, their dialling code has been implemented into the design which is on the collar and cuffs, however, it’s difficult to distinguish from afar.
On the other hand, some kits did receive positive comments. Despite having a ‘less is more’ approach for its kits this season, Adidas was praised for the new Arsenal shirt. The colour of the three stripes and the cannon logo (as opposed to the cannon as one element of a shield) for the first time since 1990 made the shirt stand out. The Newcastle colours also look effective as the main sponsor Sela, with its clean typeface and logo, complements the club’s black and white stripes well.
To conclude, Brentford receives a firm nod for sticking to only releasing one new kit per season, a tradition that sets them apart from other teams. Villa’s kit was also well-received, with Adidas getting praise for managing to design a kit for a team they had never worked with before, while avoiding making it look odd or out of place. All in all, the new season brings a mix of the good, the bad and the confusing when it comes to football kits.
