AUSTRALIANS HAVE IT pretty good when it comes to access to big-name brands, but there is one brand that has remained frustratingly out of reach, until now. Umbro – the brand with the iconic diamond logo that appears on the kits of English football clubs like West Ham, Bournemouth and Huddersfield Town – has just touched down on Australian soil, bringing with it precisely one century of experience at the forefront of sporting culture.
Since its foundation in 1924, Umbro has become synonymous with retro football jerseys – think of the legendary English and Brazilian kits of the ’80s, the benchmark-setting Manchester United, Liverpool and Celtic uniforms of the ’90s, and the famed Inter and AC Milan designs of the early 2000s. But today, Umbro’s influence extends beyond the football pitch.
Umbro makes sporty attire for everyone from pro athletes to grassroots players to those completely averse to sports. For that reason, and thanks in no small part to the sudden rise of ‘blokecore’, you’re equally as likely to spot Umbro apparel in a football stadium as you are in the wild – that is to say, on the street.
The brand itself has responded to these shifting parameters accordingly. In recent years, Umbro has collaborated with everyone from Virgil Abloh’s Off-White to Supreme, releasing collections that range from refined and understated to unapologetically brash. One collection that exists somewhere towards the middle of that spectrum is the ‘United By Umbro’ range, which launched last month to coincide with the 2024 UEFA Euros and Copa América, as celebrations for the brand’s centenary continue to be rolled out.
The United By Umbro collection features a series of unofficial jerseys for the teams from the tournaments, with a distinctive twist. The jerseys are mash-ups, blending crests, patterns and colours from different teams in different eras. There’s jerseys for the finalists England and Spain, Argentina and Colombia, as well as other titans of the sport like France, Germany, Portugal, Brazil, Italy, the Netherlands, Mexico, Chile and Peru. There’s even room for a minnow like Ireland – but don’t tell the Irish we said that.
United By Umbro is blokecore at its zenith. But of course, collections like it have been painfully out of reach for the Australian consumer. Thankfully, that’s not the case anymore. Umbro is now retailing in Australia at www.umbro.au, and this is just the start. Umbro wants to become the nation’s dominant apparel provider, kitting out Australians on and off the sporting field, according to Umbro Australia general manager Brooke Norton. “From grassroots to the highest level of the professional game, from players to fans, from the pitch to the stands, from the stands to the street, there is Umbro,” Norton said.
Stay tuned for more new Umbro collections. To shop the current Umbro range, click here.
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