Is Nike stopping producing 4th kits?

In recent years, team 4th kits have become a topic of conversation more off the field than on. In fact, more than jerseys to be used on the field, the 4th kits have been grounds for experimentation, including collaborations, tributes and complete distortions of the social colors, so much so that they often stumble into the jerseys of sports legislation that have prevented then to show off such creations during official matches. At the same time, the mere presence of such jerseys has helped to increase the influence on the market and define the aesthetics of the club, leading them to associate their brand with high fashion names or artists of international renown. Or simply granting them additional merch to sell through their official channels or on gaming platforms. 

This season, however, Nike has decidedly slowed down the production of fourth kits for the teams it sponsors, producing only the one for Paris Saint-Germain and transforming those planned for Chelsea and Barcelona into pre-match training jerseys. A choice that takes into account the environmental impact that the many kits produced in recent years are having, apart from the now widespread use of recycled materials, on a global scale and the saturation that this schedule of releases is having on both fans and enthusiasts. Even New Balance, which at the beginning of the season had announced the arrival of fourth jerseys for each of the teams to which it supplies outfits, at the moment has only released the one for AS Roma. 

Certainly the pandemic has contributed to cause significant supply chain problems that are slowing down every area of the manufacturing industry and not only that related to sportswear, but it is impossible not to notice how it has also highlighted the saturation and unsustainability of this market. It's no coincidence that several smaller teams have started to use their old jerseys, as Brentford is doing. Of course, there are still various clubs, for example Napoli and PSG, that rely heavily on a busy release schedule but never before have we seen strategies that are as different as they are now.