When Luanvi dominated the aesthetics of European football

The fact that it is usually the same teams that reach the final of a European competition means that it is usually the same brands that take the spotlight. Small teams struggle to emerge in European competitions and, as a result, small brands that are associated with these clubs also struggle to compete with big global brands in terms of popularity. This is just another consequence of modern football, where the richer teams have a higher chance of winning. But it is also a shame because it takes away the opportunity to celebrate the work of small brands that, precisely because they collaborate with non-elite clubs, are able to create unique products. Take the case of Luanvi. It is a sports clothing company founded in Spain in the late 1970s in a small town in the Valencian Community. Today, the company mainly operates in online sales of sports-related products, from clothing to accessories. However, there was a time when Luanvi influenced, or rather dominated, the aesthetics of European football thanks to its partnerships with Valencia and Alaves, two Spanish teams that reached the finals of the Champions League and UEFA Cup against all odds.

In the case of Valencia, the season in question is 1999/00, but the collaboration with Luanvi had been ongoing for a few years, specifically since 1993 when the Spanish company replaced PUMA. The aesthetic production initially never strayed from tradition, with a white home jersey and black shorts, and a blue away jersey. The revolution came in 1998 when Luanvi decided to fully embrace the local culture and created an entirely orange away kit, bringing back a kit that had first been seen in the 1970s and was produced to celebrate the production of oranges, a characteristic fruit of the region.

In the following season, the orange kit was confirmed and a third kit was also introduced, which has become iconic after more than twenty years. It featured horizontal grey and black stripes broken by a thinner orange horizontal bar, with a polo-style collar and armholes, and a ribbed pattern also used for the collar. This jersey was only worn once during the journey to the Champions League final, which was ultimately lost to Real Madrid, but it has captured the hearts of fans and collectors alike. This line of kits was the last produced by Luanvi for Valencia, as they switched to Nike the following season.

The end of their relationship with Valencia likely strengthened the partnership between Luanvi and Alaves, which culminated in the surprising UEFA Cup final in the 2000/01 season, where they lost to Liverpool in Dortmund. Luanvi also proposed an orange kit for away games for the Basque team, without a particular reason to justify the color choice. This kit was only used for domestic competitions, as a surprising kit was created for the UEFA Cup. It was a pink jersey with navy blue details, sometimes paired with navy blue or white shorts depending on the opponent. It goes without saying that this jersey became a cult favorite among fans and enthusiasts, as it was the jersey worn by Alaves during their historic 2-0 victory against Inter at the San Siro in the second leg of the round of 16, and it was also worn during the quarter-finals and semi-finals.

The real uniqueness of this jersey is that it featured the names of all the club's members, a detail that was difficult to see on TV but could be seen when closely inspected, giving the impression of a jersey with a dotted pattern. The detail of the members' names printed on the jersey was also repeated for the final, where Alaves wore a one-off blue jersey with a yellow horizontal bar, which was inspired by the home jersey of Boca Juniors. The surprising element was that the collar and armholes were also yellow, but a slightly darker shade than the central band. The jersey was not well-received by fans, who were upset that the club did not wear their traditional colors in their first and only European final, but this production was actually intended for the fans, as the club gave a replica of this jersey to anyone who purchased a ticket for the match.