Written by Menswear Style in Sports on the 18th March 2016

England unveils new 2016 home and away Vapor kits ahead of the European Championships in France, as athletes from the men’s, women’s and development squads come together to present a united front. The predominantly white and red themes of the respective kits blend symbols of England’s storied football history with cutting-edge Aeroswift innovation. Marking a revolution in football apparel design, England’s Nike Vapor kits are 10% lighter, boast 50% more stretch, wick sweat 20% quicker and dry 25% faster than Nike’s most recent football kits.

ENGLAND HOME KIT 

The new home kit features a classic white English body with a contrasting light blue shoulder and sleeve produced by cross-dyeing white with the blue used elsewhere in the kit. On the chest, engineered knit zones create a geometric pattern that enhances fit, with smaller mesh shapes at the bottom of the shirt providing extra cooling.

Odes to national pride appear on both the interior and exterior of the jersey. The HD silicon federation crest is heat printed to the chest and “England” is knitted into the back collar. “Three” and “Lions” adorn the inside cuffs while the reverse of the crest reveals a white rose graphic, referencing the symbol that was embroidered onto early England caps in the nineteenth century. “For both kits we set out with the goal of bringing together the colours that are synonymous with English football: white, red and blue – flashes of contrast are used to illustrate innovative details such as the cross-dyed knitted sleeves and the ventilation-enhancing stripe on the sides of the shirts and shorts.” – Martin Lotti, Nike Creative Director. 

The sides of the kit have a blue stripe that runs the length of the shirt and matching shorts. Expanding when the player is in motion, it maximizes ventilation and reveals a subtle tone of underlying red. Bright red socks, featuring a linear blue graphic on the calf, celebrate the look of the English team that famously triumphed over Brasil at Maracana Stadium in 1984. They bring a vibrant spark of contrast to the head-to-toe look and highlight the most dynamic part of the footballer’s body, the lower legs, to accentuate speed.

ENGLAND AWAY KIT

Honouring the 50th anniversary of England’s 1966 World Cup victory at Wembley, the team’s new away kit integrates the very same performance innovations and design details as the home kit, but in the team’s World Cup-winning red. “England have had great moments in red over the years – one in particular – and our design team have risen to the challenge of integrating references to England’s footballing history with a futuristic system of performance apparel in both the home and away kits.” – Martin Lotti, Nike Creative Director. 

The jersey’s red body is offset by a textured purple effect across the shoulder and sleeve achieved by cross-dyeing red with the blue used elsewhere in the kit – in the ventilation stripe with white underlay that runs down the flanks of the red shirt and shorts, and in the dominant block of contrasting colour that makes up the new away socks.

As in the home kit, Nike brings together innovation and pride. The geometric knitted layout construction of the chest is in place to provide an athletic fit, whilst the knitted detailing on the inside cuffs (“Three” and “Lions”) and back of neck (“England”) is complemented by the rose motif in red on the reverse of the crest. While these new kits serve to inspire national pride, it has also been created to give players the very latest in Nike’s innovations encompassing fabric construction, performance technology, moisture management and environmental sustainability. The 2016 England home and away kits will be available from nike.com and in stores starting March 24. 

Aeroswift Innovation 

The most technologically advanced kits to date, Nike Aeroswift Vapor kits are 10% lighter, with 50% more stretch than the kits they replace. They employ a new, textured high-performance yarn that wicks sweat from the skin 20% faster than Nike’s most recent football kits, while also drying 25% faster. Additionally, both the jersey and short are constructed using a new knitting process that integrates single and double knit to enhance breathability, stretch and fit.

Commitment to Sustainability 

Nike places sustainable innovation at the heart of its kits through the use of recycled polyester, delivering unrivalled performance and lower environmental impact. Each piece of the kit, the shirt, shorts and socks, is constructed with recycled polyester, which is made from recycled plastic bottles that are melted down to produce fine yarn used to create the fabric. Each kit is made using an average of 16 recycled plastic bottles. Since 2010, Nike has diverted more than 2 billion plastic bottles from landfills into recycled polyester, enough to cover about 3,500 football pitches. By using recycled polyester, Nike is also reducing the energy consumed in the manufacturing process by up to 30% compared to virgin polyester.

The new vapor kits which features Nike Aeroswift innovation are the new 2016 home and away National England Football Kits.