The success of the partnership between Arsenal and adidas

With its home victory in the North London Derby against Antonio Conte's Tottenham, Arsenal consolidated its first position in the Premier League with a one-point lead over Guardiola and Haaland's formidable Manchester City by returning after years of darkness to the positions that matter. An ascent that has the face of Mikel Arteta and the many youngsters launched in recent seasons, capable of interpreting that cheerfulness and exuberance that has always distinguished the best version of the Gunners, such as those led by Arsene Wenger. For more than a decade, Arsenal has represented an unattainable model of sporting achievement and technical and stylistic elegance, populating the dreams of all soccer fans made up of Thierry Henry's ball-and-foot rides in a SEGA or 02 sponsored Nike shirt.

Now the task of updating the aesthetic profile of the North London team has fallen on the shoulders of the U.S. brand's great rival, namely adidas, which has become the Gunners' technical sponsor since 2019. Such was the success that the partnership was recently extended until 2030, confirming the excellent work done by the Three Stripes in the Gunners' playing outfits. In just three seasons, adidas has revamped and relaunched the Arsenal brand around the world, tying back to the 1986-1994 decade when it was the technical sponsor of the London team, opening up the vast catalog and at the same time introducing new formats and templates. 

The tradition of home jerseys 

The four home jerseys made by adidas have, season after season, gone on to refine the Gunners' iconography made of great care and cleanliness on the red and white social colors while always introducing classic elements from the club's history. From the navy blue stripes on the shoulders, the Art Deco pattern to the historiated collar on this year's version, adidas has again made the Gunners' jerseys timeless. 

Particularly in the past year, adidas has definitely pushed on the vintage pedal, riding the interest the archives and offering 80s and 90s vibes within their designs, finding in the club's heritage fertile ground. Thus the more traditional side of Arsenal, the one that all fans have come to love during the Invincibles years, has been enhanced. 

The charm of vintage

Reaffirming the fondness on the part of both Arsenal and adidas for reclaiming and paying homage to designs that have defined the club's history, the second and third jerseys often used elements and references to the Gunners' glorious iconography with an attention to detail that often made the difference. From the revival of the famous pattern that has gone down in history as the "Bruised Banana," worn by the Gunners from 1991 to 1993 with the sponsor JVC imprinted on it, repurposed for the 2019-20 season to the away kit for the 2020-21 season with a pattern inspired by the veins of Highbury marble, each jersey offers a different reference.

This season, however, adidas has chosen to use the third jersey to pay homage to the club's history, bringing out the Ermine pattern, used by Arsenal during the 1940s, on a total pink background, a color instead never before seen on the Gunners' game uniforms. A balance between heritage and modernity with which adidas has struck a chord this season.

Contaminations with fashion

During these four seasons, adidas has harnessed Arsenal's iconic power to involve various fashion brands in the creation of collaborative kits. Thus were born the jerseys co-signed with Humanrace, 424, and finally Stella McCartney, which solidified the perception of Arsenal as a club open to experimenting with its stylistic identity while remaining steadfast to its roots. Pharrell Williams' Creative Director decided to repurpose the "Bruised Banana" design through a stark paint effect, while Stella McCartney opted for an all-over leopard pattern for both the jersey and the rest of the capsule. In addition, adidas for Arsenal has also launched city- and neighborhood-related campaigns such as the one created for the No More Red campaign, an all-white shirt to raise awareness against street violence, and a collaboration with Transport for London.

Always very attentive to its contaminations with the world of fashion, Arsenal has been synonymous with style on and off the field often exploiting the figure of Hector Bellerin for its photoshoots. A choice that has proved successful and that, even after the Spanish player left the English capital, has led Arsenal to use more posed styling, enhancing the intrinsic elegance that has always distinguished the London club.