Successful and good looking
- PUMA's football jerseys

EURO 2020 is full on and just like all football fans around the world, we simply cannot wait to see which country (and football kit) emerges victorious in the final. A real classic is waiting for us in the semi-finals today: Italy against Spain.

This year we started out with four teams participating in the EURO 2020: Austria, the Czech Republic, Italy and Switzerland. And it has been a very successful championship for PUMA already – No sports company had more teams in the quarter-finals! But, we are even more proud to see that our kits can unify people and give the fans a sense of belonging. Each kit features iconic visual elements that are unique to and inspired by the individual culture of each country. Here are 5 things you always wanted to know about our EURO 2020 PUMA Football Kits.

Is there a series of designs for a potential kit? How was the final decision made?

We have a great relationship with our federations, whom we talk to thoughout the process. We dive deep into each nation’s culture and spend time doing our research. We really want to understand the culture before deciding on a direction that we feel truly encompasses the history and DNA of that country. Our aim when developing kits is to create a kit truly unique to that country so the fans feel connected and a sense of pride because it is made for them. Like every creative process, we start with more options and streamline through the process. We will have a few design rounds and choose the designs that best represents the story in the most authentic way.

How does the process look like of taking kits from the basic outline, through to concept, to design, to execution, to marketing, to release?

The overall process is done in five main steps. 1. We start with a seasonal concept. For the EURO 2020 it is crafted from culture. 2. Then, for each of the federations we start to look at authentic stories that fit the cultural approach. 3. We present and collaborate with the federations to fine tune the designs. 4. We sample to work on the executions. 5. Once the football kits are approved we work on the marketing campaign. The magic lies in finding a fine balance between fashion trend, creativity and authenticity.

What does “crafted from culture” mean?

Each jersey symbolizes the national pride and identity of each nation. The kits are not only for the eleven players on the pitch, the 23-man playing squad or the federation, but for the countries and the millions of people they represent. To achieve this contemporary design, PUMA reimagined the positioning of kit marques and symbols, elevating the identity and visualization of the country name and flag colors by weaving them into the fabric. An additional key feature is the federation emblems of the teams has been embossed all over the jersey, creating a unique visual aesthetic. Each kit features iconic visual elements that are unique to and inspired by the individual culture of each country, re-contextualized into bold and brilliant graphics. Our aim was to create groundbreaking designs that bring newness and energy.

Are the PUMA Football Kits influenced by fashion trends?

The football kit designs need to resonate well with the actual trends. We have the advantage of having a strong lifestyle department with which we work very closely to better understand the upcoming fashion trends, may it be on graphics or on silhouettes. Additionally, we have our innovation department that provides us with the latest technology to feature on our design. The magic lies in finding a fine balance between fashion, technologies, creativity and authenticity. One of the main trends we are seeing now are the geometric shapes as they are a borderless visual language tool. The way such shapes incorporate symbols, patterns and actually show a dynamic movement or change in form is what fascinates our design team and ultimately is the language we use to draw the attention of our consumers.

Still in the competition – what is the creative idea behind the Italian kit?

Italian football has had a lasting effect on the global game both on and off the pitch. The Azzurri home kit is inspired by this culture-defining era of art and architecture. The Home Kit reinterprets the luxurious renaissance patterns of the past into a modern geometric graphic, tonally incorporated into the blue jersey, celebrating the nation’s influence on world culture and football alike. The Italy Away kit celebrates all of Italy by featuring the country name and flag colors in a bright, brilliant graphic alongside the centrally aligned FIGC emblem and PUMA Cat. Navy blue accents add an elegant finishing touch to the white Away jersey.