In celebration of the venerated terrace wear of the late 80s and early 90s, adidas and Manchester United have unveil the Man Utd x Originals Collection, which revisits popular pieces of adidas’ archive and recodes them into football culture today.
Invoking a feeling of nostalgia, the collection is designed to capture the spirit of the ‘away day’ and the unconditional devotion of the fans who travelled to follow the team during the notable 1988 – 1990 seasons. In a nod to the now-iconic design DNA of this time, the nine-piece collection offers a fresh take on celebrated legacy pieces, alongside a number of commemorative apparel drops including a hoodie, t-shirts, and a bench jacket.
The hero of the collection is the Man Utd x Originals Third jersey, which – rich in details – is inspired by the same legendary kit worn at that time. This includes an engineered “MUFC” jacquard material and a meticulously crafted ribbed collar with red and black detailing on the edges. Mirroring the original, the adidas Trefoil, the club’s crest, and wider sponsor iconography of the time, are all raised via a soft textured material applied onto the core fabric of the jersey.
Complimenting the shirt, matching shorts – adorned with ‘MUFC’ script on the side – come finished in a woven fabric to recreate both the look and feel of those worn decades ago.
An animated version of Manchester United defender Lisandro Martinez sporting the new Man Utd x Originals third jersey is due to appear on this month’s United We Stand fanzine cover.
The collection also includes the Man Utd x Bench Jacket, inspired by that worn by the manager as he coached from the touchlines – but recreated as a modern winter jacket. This, and a reinterpreted version of the off-pitch hoodie worn by the players, comes in a bold red, white and black colourway in homage to the original pieces.
The Man Utd x Originals collection is available from May 15 and is available to purchase from adidas.com and other retail partners.