That contemporary sports brands crave nostalgic validation is perfectly evidenced throughout the plethora of current Premier League kit designs to varying degrees of success. Nike’s 1982-inspired England’s ‘pre-match’ shirt for the 2018 World Cup is the ultimate example, with many supporters left wondering why this wasn’t the home shirt. We closed our eyes and reminisced about the classic Admiral design and Kevin Keegan, but we were left holding on to our wallets as the training kit prematurely sold out.
In recent seasons Adidas Originals have been resurrecting their archive of classic designs at Manchester United and Arsenal where, decades after the event, they have returned as brand partner – the ‘bruised banana’ is back in our vocabulary again. And original sponsors from the 1980s and ’90s have been appearing in stadium stores to remind ourselves of an age of burgeoning consumerism – Sharp, JVC, NEC, Brother, Newcastle Brown Ale, Commodore, Holsten, Dr Martens...