Special/Classic Nike Logos on Kits
- Nike's Approach to Special Logos: Nike has adopted a strategy of experimenting with special and historical brandings on various kits, including elite teams' third kits and retro-inspired designs for smaller clubs, even before Adidas.
- 2019-2020 Elite Kits: For the 2019-2020 season, Nike's Elite teams' third kits featured the classic Nike Futura logo, a design that was well-received but not continued in subsequent seasons.
- Recent and Consistent Retro Designs: The 2024-2025 Elite teams' third kits introduced a new "Upside Swoosh" logo, while Swedish club AIK consistently receives retro-inspired kits utilizing old Nike logos across multiple seasons.
While Adidas have been bringing back their famous Trefoil on match kits in the last 2 years, Nike, in fact, also had the same approach even before their German arch rival. Follow us to take a look back at some of the famous designs that feature classic or special Swoosh. Huge thanks to @jerseystory_vn with interesting insight.
Special/Classic Nike Logos on Kits
In the last few years, the American brand have experimented special and historical brandings on multiple occasions and in different ways: On Elite teams' third kits in 19-20 and 24-25, and through various retro-inspired designs of smaller clubs, notably AIK.
Nike Elite Teams 19-20 Third Kits
The Nike Elite teams 19-20 third kits brought history-inspired looks to all 8 of the brand's biggest sides, featuring the famous Nike Futura on the chest. Though the kit collection drew great attention and positive reviews at the time, the American brand did not continue with this approach in the following seasons.
Nike Elite Teams 24-25 Third Kits
Recently, the Nike Elite teams 24-25 third kits surprisingly introduced Upside Swoosh - a rotated Nike logo with a long, tapered outer swoosh combined with a mini swoosh. The innovated logo created a one-of-a-kind look for all 8 Elite teams, with Inter famously worn their own version in the Champions League Final.
Nike AIK Kits
Among Nike-sponsored teams in Europe, Swedish side AIK stands out as the rare team to get retro-inspired kits in nearly every season - most of which used the brand's 1970s logo to match with the historical aesthetics. Despite not being an Elite team and receiving newest templates, Nike designs for AIK were still considered top tier in terms of beauty.
There we can see, Nike did brought back classic logos or introduced innovated versions in the past, but these approaches did not get the chance to be widely popularized like adidas Trefoil.
Do you want to see Nike widely reuse their old brandings for match kits in the future? Leave your opinions in the comments below.