Spark In The Night: Adidas Unveils 2015/16 Third Kits

In a special launch event, Adidas unveiled the 2015/16 third kits for Europe's top clubs: Chelsea, Bayern Munich, Manchester United, Real Madrid, AC Milan and Juventus. Throughout the summer Adidas held its #BETHEDIFFERENCE tournament in more than 30 cities around the world in search of the game's best playmakers. This past week, the final tournament was held in Marseille with some of the best professional players in Europe in attendance to launch the third kits for their teams including Oscar, Phillipe Mexes and Javi Martinez. 

The third kits all feature dark hues with bright details playing into the theme of a "Spark in the Night." One of the most hotly anticipated third kits is Adidas's new collaboration with Manchester United, which features a black colorway with bright red stripes. A special chevron graphic covers the upper chest in an ode to the chevron jersey worn by Ryan Giggs in his early nineties debut. All of the 2015/16 Adidas third kits incorporate details unique to the heritage, fans and cities of each club.

The Manchester United 2015/16 Third kit is available in The Soccer Shop in adult & youth sizes.

Back To Leather: Nike Tech Craft Collection

Never one to shy away from pushing the boundaries of innovation, Nike once again proves why it's at the forefront of boot design with the Tech Craft Pack: the first collection to offer leather uppers on all silhouettes. This was no easy feat. The uppers of the four existing silos all feature different materials from Flyknit to loft mesh, and figuring out how to fuse a soft layer of leather to these proved to be quite difficult.

The Nike design team utilized a variety of tools and computer technology to create the prototypes that would eventually influence the final designs of the leather boots. All four boots feature a thin layer of leather fused strategically to the high-contact sections of the uppers. The leather was also treated with a balance of oils and steam to prevent stiffening and allow the uppers to retain their responsive ball touch. The Tech Craft Pack will be worn on pitch by Edinson Cavani, Alexis Sanchez, and Blaise Matuidi.

The Nike Tech Craft Pack will be available in adult sizes in The Soccer Shop in late August/ early September.

Adidas Manchester United 15/16 Away Kit

New Manchester United kit provider, Adidas, drew inspiration from the past when designing the new 2015/16 Man U Away kit. Looking back into the archives, Adidas utilized a classic white and red colorway. The design was inspired by the legendary and talented "Busby Babes" teams of the 1960s era of Manchester United. The jersey features a red v-neck with the iconic red 3-stripes running down the sleeves, and a hem pattern inspired by the jersey worn by Ryan Giggs in his early 90s debut.

The 2015/16 Man U away kit is now available in The Soccer Shop in both adult & youth sizes.

Break Expectations: Adidas Manchester United 2015/16 Home Kit

Manchester United will once again wear the 3-stripes. In a landmark deal worth a whopping £750 million, Adidas have signed on to provide the Manchester United kits for the next 10 seasons after taking a hiatus with the team for the past 24 years. The last time a Manchester United player wore an Adidas kit was in the 1991/92 season. This long-standing history with the club provided inspiration for the design of the new kits for a modern age. Adidas designer and long-time Manchester United supporter, Inigo Turner commented on the classic design: 

At adidas we have been on a real journey in creating these new kits for Manchester United. This landmark sponsorship is not the first time we have partnered with the Club and it is with these iconic kits of the past that we drew our inspiration from. We have aimed to break expectations by reengineering simple but impactful design features such as the classic v-neck collar and the iconic three-stripe detailing down the arms as our commitment to giving Manchester United a truly ground breaking kit for the 2015/16 season.

The new kits were inspired by the Manchester United kits of the 1980s, with the classic v-neck collar outlined in black and red, and the white 3-stripes running down the sleeves. A subtle striping pattern is featured throughout the chest, and a trident graphic runs across the bottom hem in an ode to a pattern featured on the jersey that Ryan Giggs wore in his debut season in 1990.

View fullsize

View fullsize

The Manchester United 2015/16 Adidas Home kit is available in The Soccer Shop in both adult and youth sizes. A long sleeve version is also available in adult sizes.