Umbro New Blue: Classic Piece Inspires Lifestyle Range

(Manchester, England) A unique piece from the Umbro archives has provided the inspiration for New Blue, a capsule collection of sportswear apparel for Autumn Winter 2011.

It was a drill top, which had experienced a lifetime of wear and tear, donated by a member of the public to the Umbro archives that inspired the New Blue approach.

The product’s weathered appearance caused the design team to set about creating a product line which reflected the worn and distressed look of the garment.

Since its introduction in the 1950s, the Umbro drill top has become an iconic symbol on the pitch and has been worn by some of football’s greats. It has seen many manifestations throughout the years however it is widely remembered for being blue in colour with collars and ribbing.

For the New Blue collection, a selection of key Umbro silhouettes have been given the textured denim-like appearance that alludes to the years of continuous training, washing and hardwearing the original drill would have gone through in its years on and off the pitch.

The New Blue range includes classic Umbro designs: the Woven Anthem Jacket, the Track Jacket, the Crew Sweat and the Graphic Tee make up the range.

Timeless Umbro trims and graphic applications such as the running diamond taping and the diamond logo print remain, but like the drill, these have been given a distressed look.