Review: Pelé Sports Clothing Range 2010

If you’re into soccer-inspired fashion and gear, you may have noticed the launch of a new brand called Pelé Sports at online and brick and mortar retailers. Recently, we’ve were fortunate enough to be able to experience some of Pelé Sports’ new apparel collection and are happy to bring you our thoughts on them. As you might expect with anything carrying the name of the greatest soccer player of all time, the Pelé Sports 2010 clothing range does not disappoint!

Here’s a little background information on Pelé Sports:

The greatest player in the history of our sport has launched his first line of football boots and apparel this summer.

Pelé, the legendary Brazilian, is the name and the inspiration behind Pelé Sports. In addition to a range of footwear for full-field, 11-a-side play from professional-level to junior, the Pelé Sports line reflects a deep commitment to the small-sided and informal style of play, called “Pelada”, that Pelé himself used to develop his skills as a boy in Brazil.

The line is broken down into three collections:

Performance – Three boot models from professional to club level, including junior sizes
Pelada – Apparel for small sided play that combines great cuts and colors with technical fabrics
Pelé Story – Casual apparel, like T-shirts, shorts and hoodies that reflect your love for the game.

The Pelé Sports 2010 Range is now available at World Soccer Shop.

Now here’s our review of the Pelé Sports Pelada and of Pelé Story collections. We hope to be able to review the of Pelé Sports Performance 1970 soccer boots in the near future.

Pelada

Striped Game Day Tee
This polyester jacquard mesh tee was quite an eye-catcher when we took it out to a recent pick-up game. Perhaps this was because of its unique, modern, Brazilian-inspired design. Nevertheless, the tee was extremely comfortable and lightweight and perfect for playing in the 90 degree summer weather we’ve had in our region lately. It also performed well in the moisture-wicking department and dried quickly.

Striped Short
This is a great complement to the Pelada Striped Game Day Tee and it feels even lighter that the tee. We used it for a training three mile run and found it to be another excellent product. We also thought that it would be great for lounging at the beach or pool or playing beach soccer. It’s so light that you sometimes feel like you’ve got nothing on so double-check before leaving the house!

Performance Tee
The lightweight polyester Pelada Performance Tee works as well as the Striped Game Day Tee on the soccer field but carries a more subtle look. Nevertheless, the Pelé signature logo on the chalk-colored tee that we wore to a soccer pickup game did get quite a few close-up looks that involved fellow players scoping it out and reading it out loud. The futsal graphic on its back makes a statement about you being a serious soccer player and / or fan.

Pelé Story

Bike Kick Tee
Excellently designed, this premium tee feels as good on the skin as it looks! It’s made of soft cotton that only the best modern tee shirts use. It doesn’t stick to your skin in the heat and is extremely breathable. Combine all of these characteristics and you’ve got a standout tee shirt for the soccer pitch, gym, pub or Casual Friday at the office.

Of note is that the Pelé bicycle kick graphic on the shirt features exactly 1,283 dots representative of the number of goals that Pelé scored during his professional playing career. This is a must have for any soccer fan!

Signature Tee
As classy and comfortable as the Pelé Story Bike Kick Tee, the Signature Tee features a more subdued graphic but looks just as good. Our favorite features of this tee were the ribbed knit cuffs not usually found on tee shirts. The modern silicone finish used for the Pelé signature on the shirt should see that it never fades. Finally, we thought that the Baltic color used for our shirt exudes a feel that melds modern fashion with proud Brazilian soccer heritage.

Cargo Short
This was one of our favorite Pelé Sport clothing items. From the Pelé signature patch on one pocket to the three stars representative of Pelé’s three World Cup titles to its extremely comfortable fit, the Pelé Story Cargo short is the ideal pair of pants to wear with the other items in the Pelé Story collection. The steel color used ensures that it matches with just about any top while its lightweight materials ensure that you feel cool in summer heat or at the beach. This is a pair of shorts will work with anything from a tank to a sporty jacket.

Track Jackets
We were able to rock the Pelé Story mulberry and chalk track jackets. Both carry the same reto track jacket feel (complete with the now rare zippered pockets) and are quite lightweight. This makes them excellent training, pickup soccer and casual jackets once Fall 2010 comes around.

The mulberry/yellow and white/yellow color combinations make each jacket standout in their own right in a world currently saturated with dark colors. However, the prominent Pelé dribbling graphic (complete with a yellow-colored tongue sticking out) on the mulberry jacket is certainly something that will turn heads.