Hasta La Ideas

With the World Cup just around the corner, it’s not surprising to find that various brands with strong connections to the glorious game are producing spanky new products for us to buy. Both Umbro and Nike have commissioned illustrators to devise emblems and badges to be embroidered on to alternative versions of national team shirts…

Anomaly has been working with Umbro on a project about to launch which sees illustrators from seven countries create unique and original badge designs to be embroidered on special versions of their national football team. The countries involved – England, France, Germany, Italy, Brasil, Argentina and Uruguay – are the only footballing nations to have victoriously lifted the Jules Rimet trophy since the inaugural World Cup in 1930.

Above is Hastings-based UK artist Eine‘s illustrated England crest, embroidered in red on a white shirt. Below are the badges created for the other teams:

France’s badge, designed by André

ZZK‘s badge for Argentina

Fernando Chamarelli, an illustrator, visual artist and tattoo designer from Sao Paolo created Brazil’s badge

Marok created this industrial emblem for Germany. Note the sausage…

Tanino Liberatore devised this gladiatorial badge for Italy

Martin Albornoz, a mixed media artist from Montevideo, created this badge for Uruguay

The project is great – and the shirts (which are in-store from May 15) are infinitely more wearable than official team merchandise offerings – although it does remind me of Nike Sportswear’s Six Collaborations project (now called True Colors) which launched several weeks ago and which saw various international artists creating a badge to be embroidered on an alternative national team kit. Actually, there was more to the Nike project – each of the six artists involved were asked to contribute a badge, mascot, print and an alphabet in their handwriting style. Each collaboration pack includes N98 Track Jacket, AW 77 hoodie, kit tee, polo shirt and short for both men and women; then tee for men and tank for women – not to mention a selection of Nike Sportswear footwear coordinated with the apparel.

James Jarvis was selected to create the graphics for an England selection of goods:

Umbro and Nike are all part of the same company these days, so we’re sure there’s no problem with both these distinct brands running slightly similar promotional projects. While the True Colors project was picked up by many-a-blog when it launched several weeks ago, none of the pieces we read about it gave much attention to the emblems and graphics designed by Jarvis and his various international counterparts. So we thought we’d showcase some of the project’s graphics right here and now:

As well as the badge to be embroidered on the chest of shirts, each artist was asked to render his country’s name, and the numeral 10 in a bespoke font of their creation. Above is Jarvis’ 10 and England.

Above is Sao Paulo street artist Nunca’s graphics for the project

So Me, perhaps best known as the art director of Ed Banger records represented France in the project

The same graphic elements, as produced by Delta for his country’s True Colors kit

Cape Town-based artist Kronk represented South Africa

And this is LA-based artist Mister Cartoon‘s graphics for the USA kit

To find out more about the True Colors project, visit nike.com/nikeos/p/sportswear/en_US/true_colors

To keep up to date with the release of the Umbro Crest Collaboration football shirt collection, visit umbro.com