Manchester
United will play in a new home kit inspired by the city’s industrious past this
season. The 2012-13 shirt will feature the iconic gingham check that hailed
from Manchester’s famous cotton mills.
Manchester
United Football club’s success has been founded on the traditional values of
respect and hard work. Those values are what made Manchester the city it is and
from the mid 18th century the cotton mills there were prolific in the industry.
From those mills came the gingham fabric, an iconic check that like Manchester
United is famous around the world and is now – for the first time – used on a
Manchester United home shirt.
The
tonal gingham in traditional and iconic red gives the home shirt a bold new
look. The black v-neck collar gives the
shirt a contemporary look. The inner back neck graphic on the shirt reads,
‘Forged in Industry, Striving for Glory’; paying tribute to the cities
industrial past but also the club’s hard-working ethos.
The
outer neck graphic is the iconic devil symbol so synonymous around the world
with Manchester United whilst a diagonal hatched graphic on the white shorts is
a subtle link to the gingham used on the shirt.
The
socks are black with a red detail on the top and a white devil icon. They offer
a new and innovative design featuring an updated cotton footbed offering the
support and comfort enjoyed by professionals to all that wear them.
Whilst
the kit combines modern sport and youth style to give the club an iconic new
look, Nike’s innovation gives the team our most technologically advanced kit to
aid athlete comfort and performance.
The
new home kit is made from Nike’s ground-breaking recycled polyester, making it
Nike’s most environmentally friendly kit ever produced. Each kit (shirt and shorts) is made using up
to thirteen recycled plastic water bottles.
This innovative manufacturing process reduces energy consumption by up
to 30% compared to manufacturing traditional polyester. Since 2010 Nike has
used an estimated 1115 million recycled plastic bottles to create its high
performance kits.
The
kits are made out of 23% lighter fabric with 20% stronger knit structure than
Nike’s previous kits and feature Nike Dri-FIT technology to wick moisture away
from athletes to help keep them cool and dry on-pitch.
Kits
have bonded re-enforced t-bar junctions that support critical seams on the
shirt and shorts and inner welded seams with a flat finish construction to
improve comfort and performance.
Temperature regulation is helped by ventilation zones, consisting of a
series of tiny laser cut holes from the under arms to the waistband, allowing
air to circulate to keep players comfortable.
Nike
Pro Combat base-layers are used by athletes to compliment playing kits to
further improve comfort and increase protection from injury. Whilst fans and
players can enjoy the Nike’s Manchester United Sportswear collection off the
pitch, inspired by the club’s heritage.
