A symbol of passion, hard work, identity and history, this how you could describe football kits in just a few words. People are still loving and buying new football kits, but retro football kits have a special place in most football lovers’ hearts. Retro football shirts have a timeless appeal, as they evoke nostalgia, reminding fans of the golden eras of football. Retro football shirts made a comeback in the fashion industry, being worn even by people who don’t watch football. Platforms like Dooballfree24hrs have helped fuel this trend by keeping football culture alive and accessible. Football fans are a little angry with this, but they must understand that it only means that the football retro kits they love so much are now only loved by more people.
The Nostalgia and Connection
Retro football kits are like a picture of a place you’ve visited and loved a lot. You can look at the shirt, wear it if you are this lucky, and remember a football game that you loved. A lot of retro football shirts are associated with memorable moments, with players that scored amazingly, with both victories and loses, and other similar things. They carry immense emotional weight, and you can test that by showing a football fan a retro shirt worn by his favourite team. As an example, the 1999 Manchester United kit will always be linked to the Treble-winning season; and every Manchester United fan knows that kit.
The connection comes from this exact feeling of nostalgia. Wearing a retro football shirt feels like paying homage to the ones that wore it before. Every win in football feels like a win for both the players and the fans. That’s why the fans will forever feel a strong connection to their favourite players or team. For those who don’t understand the hype, it’s easy to think of it as a band shirt. You know when you really love a band, and wearing their shirt feels great? Well, that’s the thing with retro football kits, or football kits in general.
The Designs: Unique and Simple
The fact that the designs are simple, yet eye-catching and unique, makes them relevant till this day. Retro football shirts made a comeback in the fashion industry, being worn even by people who don’t watch football. Football fans are a little angry with this, but they must understand that it only means that the football retro kits they love so much are now only loved by more people.
The vintage aesthetic, the historic importance, and the creativity that these football kits present are becoming more and more loved. People can start telling you about games and players when seeing such a shirt. Most of them never tried to actively remember the kit, but it got stuck in their mind, because of its importance.
Media and Fashion Influence
As already mentioned, football retro shirts have been making a comeback in the last year. Celebrities wearing retro football shirts in music videos had a big impact when it comes to this comeback. Also, the fashion industry keeps referring back to these already loved designs. A very actual example would be that of Adidas, who launched a retro-inspired collection. It is a combination of retro football kits and modern streetwear.
Also, there are a lot of high-profile collaboration, either between football clubs and fashion brands, or football players and fashion brands. These kinds of collaborations make the public happy. Good-looking retro football shirts are not very easy to find, and that’s why fans get excited when collaborations between clubs and brands appear. You can still find some nice retro football kits for good prices!
Sustainability: A Fight with Fast Fashion
Fast fashion is becoming more of a problem every single day. More brands with cheap clothes appear year after year, and people buy as many clothes as possible. Most of those cheap clothes end up in a garbage dump. Sustainability is, and it should be, a growing concern. The good thing is that retro football kits align with the slow fashion principles. Even if you’re buying an used football shirt, or a new one with an old design, you are still helping. People buying a shirt with an old design encourages brands not to make new designs every year.
Fast fashion is one of the many causes of pollution right now. Constantly buying every new design that each brand releases is only going to encourage them to create more. Buying old designs or second-hand, is not only good for the planet, but for your wallet too!
The Pleasure of Collecting
For a lot of people, retro football shirts are deserving of a collection. Fans that are collecting are always on the lookout for a design they don’t have yet. The goal would be to have every shirt, but as that is very hard to achieve, the most memorable shirts are still a win. But, what else do they look for?
- Rare kits – The 1992 Fiorentina (featuring the Nintendo sponsor) is a kit that most football kits collectors are looking for.
- Signed or match-worn – As anyone can tell, these ones have an extra level of value and nostalgia.
As with any collection, retro football kits collections are a pride for the collector. Some have special rooms where they display the shirts, while others keep them safe and sound in wardrobes. A collection of football shirts is valuable both monetary and sentimentally.
Conclusion
Loved by both football fans and fashion lovers, retro football shirts are worn even today. They are a window to eras that are gone, to players that are no longer playing, or even to teams that are no longer active. It’s about culture, about what makes people shout, laugh and cry together. It’s about the connection people have with each other when they go or watch a game; but also about the connection with the ones actually playing. The fans and players take energy from one another, and the shirts work as a medium for this. Even if football would disappear tomorrow, people wouldn’t forget about it; and the iconic and timeless kits have an important play into this!