Aitor Throup x England Kit Sneak-Peak!

Not being a fan of the game they call football, i always find the fanfare surrounding a new kit astoundingly surprising.  However the time it gets interesting, for me, is when a certain Aitor Throup, graduate of the Royal college of art , gets involved.

Famed for his ability for reinterpreting the form of the human body and translating this into carefully engineered garments, he has consulted and worked with the likes of Levis, Stone Island, CP company and even high street wonder TopShop.

Aitor, appointed creative consultant to Umbro in 2008, designed the new look england kit last year entitled "Tailored for England" for which he worked with famed Islington tailor Charlie Allen. This time round, only Throup worked with Umbro to apply his relatively unique approach to contemporary tailoring, constructing the kit around a "unique 3D form, designed for player movement specific to the game of football" -  the result is not yet available to see but is apparently form-fitting and performance driven.

I'm not sure whether this kit will become a style icon in the circles of fashion, but i'm sure it will be an innovation masterpiece adored by football fans the world over.

The new away kit will go on-sale March 3rd 2010 and will be revealed shortly before then.

http://www.aitorthroup.com

http://www.umbro.com

Umbro Archive Inspired Collection

The on-pitch power house brand Umbro, has released a sportswear collection inspired by Football and English culture which is the amalgamation of over 85 years of referencing from the Umbro print archives, with style inspirations taken from sport, music and art. The collection offers retro graphic tees featuring prints influenced from the Mancunian music scene, vintage advertising and the ever famous classic tracksuit, depicted in a fun line of male joggers!

The collection is available now launched exclusively with House of Fraser.

http://www.houseoffraser.co.uk/ 

Y-3 Sporting Luxury

The Y-3 Sport Luxury line has just been launched in the UK as the perfect combination of luxury and sport. Exclusive for Men, the collection called 'Sport Luxury' develops elegant accessory silhouettes to go hand in hand with exclusive, sumptuous materials. The Sport Lux line consists of a variety of shapes, featuring men's handbags and a light new version of the Messenger. The range offers trims in firm and soft, smooth leather paired with slightly cracked leather or printed wool.

The collection will be stocked at Selfridges and the Y-3 Manchester store, as well as smaller stores across the UK.

Nike Sportswear Holiday Capsule with Cassette Playa & Parra

Nike Sportswear has partnered with design talents Cassette Playa of London and Parra of Amsterdam (a personal favorite of mine after meeting him once on a trip to the red lighted city) challenging them to create their own sports team, the result is the Rivalry capsule collection.

Starting with an updated Air Max with speckled sole, jet-black upper and wing-tipped colour laces, this is not a style statement which all should attempt to pull off lightly - myself included, but i adore this design link-up adding new dimensions on updated collaborations from Nike HQ.

The clothing collection provides a technical artist mix of design brilliance, yet with a poke-fun attitude (see the illustration of a runner in high heels!). Both designers are helped to keep true to the Nike master plan of serious sporting wear supplyed with Nike technical spec fabrics, so quality and performance are assured whatever you decide to in these garments!

Both designers have also produced graphic Tees available in a men's and women's cut, with a classic snapback baseball cap rounding off the collection; one from each designer.

The Cassette Playa TZ Dunk, the Cassette Playa and Parra Destroyer jackets and t-shirts all launch today in Europe. The Cassette Playa and Parra Stadium jackets launch October 30th, Another great collection which shall inspire us to get into sporting style.

Available from Nike Sportswear’s 1948 space, Batemans Row, Shoreditch, London.

Nikesportswear.com/1948

The NSW Collection presents the M51 Parka

Nike. Nike. Nike? After recieving a number of email requests about the Nike/Loopwheeler blog posted a mere handful of weeks ago, i felt compelled to bring fourth another innovation from the world of Nike.

Mr. Gentry readers, i ask of you to take note and behold a very 007 flurry into fashion sportswear. Released upon us is a new Parka named the "M51" - the name alone should have you intrigued as to what innovational development has been born from Nike towers?!

Some history first though, which starts in the the 1950's, the Parka was spawned from military issue outerwear and initially designed for the freezing conditions of the Korean War. However the M-51 was quickly adopted as the uniform of a youth movement where the utilitarian style of dress appeared with groups such as the Teddy Boys and the Ton up Boys. This style found its way to the Rockers and eventually rested upon the tidy lapels Mods where it waterproofed its way into the style savvy as a modern aesthetic.

Now, with Nikes much added technical innovation, including "lazer cut pockets" and something called "Linerless 2L Storm-FIT" replacing the heavy cotton canvas of the original, it remains identifiably true to form whilst raising the bar for the rest.

Mr. Gentry awaits the next innovation.

Available from September:

http://www.nikesportswear.com/

Acceptable Sporting Fashion from NIKE Loopwheeler Holiday Collection

Sportswear. It can be a tricky and very choice look which few mange to pull off adequately enough inside the gym, let alone outside of it. However super brand NIKE and Japan's Loopwheeler have collided to add the "sports-luxx" treatment to our wardrobes with the NSW Loopwheeler capsule collection.

The range includes various items from jumpers and track-pants to the star of the lineup the AW77 (pictured above), which is more than a classic hooded top - this is innovative sports-fashionwear at its best and is practically handmade! Each garment is knitted on the brand’s rotating looms ensuring the yarn never comes under tension, which produces a relaxed fabric that is supremely soft. With a price tag of £180 (for the AW77) this may make you run for the hills but remember only a handful are made each day and there is a very limited run for each country.

So if your attempting to pull of a sporting look which avoids resembling Mike Skinner of The Streets, this collection is the best hope for all who are clueless on the sport-fashion front and suggest getting a piece pronto!

Available from Selfridges and NIKE 1948 Store, Shoreditch, London.

http://www.nikesportswear.com/1948