There's very little that Nike could have done to the yellow and green home kit for the Brazilian national team without screwing up what is one of the most traditional and iconic looks in the sport. As a result, the home kit that Brazil will wear at this summer's World Cup is, wait for it, yellow and green. It's a lot more of the same in terms of design but that's not at all a bad thing. In fact, Brazil's new top is simple, classy, and understated while being bright and bold at the same time.
Nike launch new Brazil home kit, stay true to tradition of the yellow shirt
It would have been so easy for Nike to go off on a tangent with their redesign of Brazil’s home kit and turn it into a big mess. Thankfully, they haven’t and have instead presented a classy, understated, iconic look for the World Cup hosts.
With Brazil hosting the sport’s showcase tournament in just under 200 days, it was important for Nike to get the look and feel of the home team’s kit correct. Nike have once again used fabric made from recycle plastic bottles, saying that the shorts are 100% recycled polyester while the shirt carries 96% and the socks are 78%. According to Nike, “each kit is made using an average of 18 recycled plastic bottles,” something that the sportswear giant has been doing for all of their soccer kits since the 2010 World Cup.
The look is overwhelmingly yellow with small green elements around the neck and sleeves, creating a very clean look for the most successful team in the history of the World Cup. In order to create a comfortable fit for performance, designers scanned the bodies of the entire national team and used that data to create a uniform that allowed for more natural body movements. The socks have undergone a redesign as well, getting a sleeker fit with cushioned zones around the ankles and big toe to provide comfort and a little bit of added protection.
The crest on the front of the shirt has been updated as well, getting a little bit bigger and brighter with a gold metallic weave taking the place of the yellow on the CBF badge. On the inside of the crest, like Nike have done with many of their shirts for the last few years, is a printed slogan that says “nascido para jogar futebol” or “Born to Play Football,” in English. On the inside of the neck, at the back of the shirt, fans will find a small yellow canary graphic, symbolizing “Canarinho” or what the team are referred to when wearing the yellow shirt.
The shorts are their traditional blue with a white strip running down the side to complete the look. Nike have added laser-cut ventilation holes at the lower back, just as they have done on the sides of the shirt, to increase air flow. The numbers have seen a revamp as well with tiny pinholes to get moisture away from the player’s backs.
Speaking about the new kit, Creative Director of Nike Football, Martin Lotti, said:
”The Brasilian home kit is like a national flag; it symbolizes the country and its people. We wanted to create a fusion of the high speed brilliance of football and the culture of Brasil while staying true to what the home kit represents.
“Incorporating environmental sustainability is a key part of the design and development process for us. Our aim is to create a kit that performs for players and is good to the planet.”
Neymar would also add his thoughts on the kit:
“To wear the ‘amarelinha’ is an honor for me and my teammates. Brasil is a very special place to play football, and we want to play hard and win for our country. This kit helps us to do that with both the technology and the inspiration it provides.”
The new kit is quintessentially Brazil and looks to be a job well done from Nike. It would have been so easy to make a mistake in redesigning such an iconic piece but they have crafted a wonderfully updated look that fits the style of the players that will wear it well.
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