Sprecher, Danielle and Groves, Andrew 2023. Tailored by Umbro: Football, fashion and the construction and reconstruction of Englishness through cut, fit, and style. 2023 British Society of Sport History Conference. Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester 24 - 25 Aug 2023
| Title | Tailored by Umbro: Football, fashion and the construction and reconstruction of Englishness through cut, fit, and style |
|---|---|
| Authors | Sprecher, Danielle and Groves, Andrew |
| Type | Conference paper |
| Abstract | Throughout its 100-year history, the British sportswear company Umbro has consistently appropriated the language and techniques of tailoring to construct, deconstruct, and reconstruct notions of Englishness through its use of cut, fit, and style when collaborating with fashion designers to produce the England shirt. As the supplier of the England football kit for the majority of the period between 1954 and 2012, Umbro has played a critical role in defining a shared national identity through sportswear. However, the England football shirt has also been a contentious garment, and Umbro has sought to reinterpret its meaning through collaborations with various British designers. This paper focuses on three examples of Umbro's England shirts held in the Westminster Menswear Archive. These examples include Paul Smith's reversible red and white England shirt produced in 2002, designed with nostalgic references to England's 1966 World Cup shirt. The 2009 England shirt, designed by Aitor Throup in collaboration with Savile Row tailor Charlie Allen, which combines minimalist aesthetics with a traditional tailored approach. Lastly, Peter Saville's 2010 England shirt features a repeat print of four different coloured St. George's crosses, aiming to ‘accentuate diversity’. By analysing the material culture of these shirts, this paper aims to shed light on the Umbro’s construction and reconstruction of Englishness through sportswear |
| Keywords | Football |
| sportswear | |
| England | |
| Tailoring | |
| menswear | |
| fashion design | |
| Year | 2023 |
| Conference | 2023 British Society of Sport History Conference |
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