Adidas Show Off Kit Prototypes

Adidas have provided some rare insight into how they make their kits for the biggest clubs.

Adidas Designer Talks About How Football Kits Are Made

For a story of British newspaper i, Adidas explain how their football shirts go from ideas in club groups and board meetings to the finished article. We have summed up the most interesting parts of it for you.

For the story, Adidas have also shown off prototypes of their 2020-2021 Humanrace football kits - a rare thing for the Three Stripes.

The prototypes of the Adidas Humanrace 2020-2021 jerseys give us a look at four Juventus sample shirts as well as a few Manchester United prototypes.

Andrew Dolan, a product manager at Adidas who specializes in football apparel, told i about the process of creating a football kit.

“Typically, the process takes around 20 months from start to finish, with the concept phase, sampling, and testing, sharing ranges with our global markets, and then on to mass production."

Football shirts: The process

There are three phases in the process of creating a football kit - Design & Concept, Manufacturing & Launch.

Step 1: Design and concept

“Each season, we start completely fresh. We work from a blank canvas that we then fill with ideas and inspiration, whether that’s from the clubs we work with, the city’s they’re in, or through modern culture, we really look everywhere for that spark that can give us an idea.

Step 2: Manufacturing and production

The design is signed off between 10 to 12 months before a kit is launched (June-August). Production starts three to four months later (around December/January), Then there are further three to four months of shipping products all over the world.

“There’s so much to the process that needs to happen after the initial design phase and sign-offs from the clubs are complete that people are maybe not aware of. This is also why when some jerseys sell out quickly, it can take three to four months for them to come back in stock.”

Ajax 21-22 Third Kit Released - Back in Stock

Sep 13, 2021

Step 3: The kit launch

Adidas try to tell a story with every kit launch and to give every big club a good time slot for their launch of the kit.

“There are numerous factors to consider when deciding launch dates, but we always try to give each club a specific moment where they are the focus.”

Andrew Dolan also talked about Adidas' Arsenal kits, which "seem to have taken on somewhat of a cult status, which is such an honor, but honestly not something I really could have foreseen happening".

10 Best & Worst Adidas Kits Of 21-22 Season

Sep 26, 2021

Are you happy with Adidas' kits for the 21-22 season? Comment below, and check out the full story of how football shirts come to life on i.