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Fashion fans can’t get enough of Nigeria’s snazzy new football kits for the World Cup Finals and the cool white and green designed looks are selling like hot cakes, writes Mai Al Khatib-Camille.
People picking up the trendy team strips aren’t even necessarily cheering for the African nation but the retro designs have definitely made an impression winning over fashionistas from across the globe.
The home and away shirts that are priced at around BD33 were sold out on the Nike website soon after they were released. Three million people pre-ordered the replica shirts, according to the Nigeria Football Federation, and shoppers even queued outside Nike’s stores trying to get their hands on the clothing.
Why all the fuss? Its makers explained that the home kit is a subtle homage to Nigeria’s popular 1994 edition celebrating the country’s first qualification to the US World Cup Finals, with its eagle wing-inspired black-and-white sleeve and green torso. Meanwhile, the away kit is a cool, refined vision of a classic full-green strip.
It seems everyone has jumped onto the retro band wagon with vintage written all over them. Germany has brought back two classic home and away kits harking back to its iconic Italia 1990.
Like Germany, Colombia has also travelled back to World Cup Italia 1990 for inspiration with a design famously worn by the hirsute Carlos Valderrama Palacio also known as El Pibe (The Kid).
Argentina draws inspiration from the squad that won its last major honour at the 1993 Copa America tournament. Spain recreated its kit based on the classic jersey worn by the likes of Pep Guardiola and Luis Enrique at US 1994 and Belgium has resurrected its mid-eighties European Championship kit. Although it may not have been a successful tournament for them at least they looked great.
Hosts Russia will be wearing the kit worn by the USSR team who won gold at the 1988 Olympic Games and Mexico channels the early 1990s. While this year’s home edition is a bit more conservative than some of their offerings over the years, it definitely owes something to their 1993 and 1995 home kits. England is basing its kit on its glory days of 1966.
