The Collaborations That Defined Umbro’s Streetwear Era
The British sportswear brand has become one of the most fashionable collaborators in the game right now. Here are the collections that helped it get there.
When it comes to collaborations, no one is doing it like Umbro. Once the brand behind everybody’s favorite football kits and team tracksuits, over the last few years the British sportswear giant has dipped its toe in more fashionable waters. Vintage Umbro has become a grail in the streetwear space, from ’90s Manchester United and England jerseys to extremely oversized track pants. With the help of some of the biggest streetwear and fashion visionaries, Umbro has taken those archival designs and turned them into modern fashion staples for those of us that can’t score the jersey we want on Vinted.
Introducing Umbro to an audience that otherwise wouldn’t engage with the brand and its extensive history in sport, the art of collaboration has helped grow the brand’s fame outside the beautiful game, becoming a fan favorite of some of the coolest people you know.
Frequently working with major streetwear labels and fashion brands that share a similar ethos, Umbro has been reimagined in more ways than we can count. Here are some of the best collaborations of the brand’s new streetwear era.
Stine Goya
Bringing Scandi Girl fashion to sportswear, the Umbro x Stine Goya collaborations have been some of our favorites. Dropping their second collection earlier this year, this collab is all about the details: lace doilies set behind Umbro’s iconic logo, hand-painted graphics and saturated colors.
Slam Jam
The ongoing Slam Jam partnership has been one for the ages. Perhaps one of the biggest catalysts behind Umbro’s sudden emergence as a streetwear favorite, the masked jackets and hoodies the Italian label produced for the collaboration took the internet by storm and are still highly-coveted years after their release.
Pikol Clothing
A recent link-up, Pikol Clothing strayed away from the tracksuits and oversized jerseys we’ve come to recognize from an Umbro collab, reinterpreting football heritage in a more understated way. Heavily-inspired by vintage football designs, the collection explores six decades of the sport from the 1940s to the ’90s.
Palace
Palace and Umbro just makes sense. Joining forces with the London-based label known for making football-inspired designs, this collaboration featured tracksuits galore in colorways pulled from some of the sport’s most iconic teams. Perfecting the footballer-off-duty look, warm-ups, jerseys, caps and more got the Umbro seal of approval.
LC23
A World Cup collab that proved there’s more to Umbro than jerseys, LC23 knocked this one out of the park. Exploring that unique connection between England and Italy, as well as designer Leo Collacico’s memories of England at the 1990 World Cup, the collection features tailored, layered shirts inspired by The Three Lions.
Supreme
Whenever Supreme announces a new drop, it’s tradition to look out for any new collabs. Umbro has become a mainstay for the New York label. The duo have been working together for years now, bringing new tracksuits in velour and vibrant colors to knitwear that will live long in the memory of fashion heads everywhere.
Crocs
A collaboration between two brands that love a collaboration. Bringing the football to our feet this time, two pairs of Crocs’ classic clogs feature a footy staple: the foldover tongue. Inspired by retro football boots, sporty jibbitz include red and yellow cards, a referee whistle and the Umbro logo.
