Nobody makes anniversary jersey like AIK

At a time when no one seems to be able to make football jerseys that everyone can agree on - fans, enthusiasts or just the curious - AIK is here to prove us wrong. Every year since Nike became the technical sponsor of the Stockholm club, it has produced a special jersey that is even more beautiful than the previous one and that has already become a cult object among true fans. The latest is the jersey released a few days ago, whose design is reminiscent of the simple elegance of the first jerseys worn by Swedish footballers at the turn of the century. Inspired by the jersey worn by AIK in 1924, Nike has reissued the same design a hundred years later with a striking yellow V-neck on a black long-sleeved jersey. The yellow of the national flag, which stands for generosity, also determines the cuffs and the team name on the chest. The jersey was an immediate success: the first 133 copies were raffled off exclusively for subscribers, with a further 133 on sale on the official website.

Nike has once again managed to outdo itself and add a new image to the Swedish club's jersey collection. The first was in 2018, when they produced two jerseys, one white and one black, to celebrate the new deal and the acquisition of a club steeped in history from a direct competitor like adidas. A classic and simple style that highlights the details of the club's history, with colors that highlight the gold and royal blue of the club's crest. And as the saying goes: you can't change a winning team. Nike and AIK have maintained this style, but have always found the right way to update and improve it, as with the Behrens Edition 2020, in memory of the brothers Isidor and Paul Behrens, who founded the club on February 15, 1891. It is white and has a polo collar dominated by the extra-large version of the company badge. A detail that can also be found in other versions, such as the CXXX Edition from 2021, with the logo in the center of the chest and the Swoosh on the right and the numbers of the club's founding year on the left.

But perhaps the most successful version is the later one, the so-called Royal Edition, in imperial blue with the map of the Swedish capital as a pattern that gives it movement. But as always, it's the details that make these AIK anniversary jerseys so impeccable. In this case, the team name is made up of a triangle pattern, while the Nike logo is the one used by the Eugene-based company from 1971 to 1978 for an added vintage touch. The AIK crest is made of blue velvet, a fabric that is rarely found on a game jersey and at the same time gives the jersey a rare elegance. And these collector's jerseys are usually packaged in even more valuable boxes, making these editions extremely rare and collectible. A real must-have for anyone who loves football shirts and the history they contain.Nike's work for AIK dwarfs their work for clubs that are certainly better known and more prestigious and whose budgets are not comparable.

The Stockholm club may not be at the top of the sponsorship pyramid, but is not even one of Swoosh's Elite clubs, which makes the esthetic choices and programming all the more surprising year after year. It is also an exceptional work because it is very short-lived due to the small number of pieces and because all the proceeds from sales are earmarked for social causes. But above all, it is a working model that should become a real reference for any release of anniversary or special jerseys, a trend that has multiplied rapidly in recent seasons. Everyone is trying to increase the number of seasonal jerseys by combining nostalgia, novelty, elegance and collectability. No one is currently doing this as well as AIK.