Inspired by the legacy and promise of The New York Cosmos and brought back with Umbro’s English football tailoring style, Umbro’s new limited edition jerseys and zip sweaters have made its way to Gotstyle!
In October 2010, Umbro announced that it would be the leading kit supplier for the newly reformed New York Cosmos, made famous in the 1970s as the world’s coolest football club.
The Cosmos were an on-pitch manifestation of all things New York – aspiration, hard work, glamour and success – a potent formula generated by the cosmopolitan mixture within the team, which included footballing greats such as Pelé and Giorgio Chinaglia.
THE HISTORY
During its existence from 1971-1985, The New York Cosmos were never shy about making a statement and were ahead of their time in the design of their kit. In addition to their stellar performance on-pitch – which won them five national championships – their on-pitch style was shown through numerous kit changes over the course of a season. The Cosmos uniform remains the stuff of legends.
THE CLOTHING
In putting the initial modern-day New York Cosmos collection together, the Umbro design team was inspired by The New York Cosmos kit from 1977, worn by Pelé and its star players during a special season in which Pelé played his last ever professional game. The influence of this legendary shirt can be seen in the new home kit, central to the Spring Summer 11 collection. This white tailored silhouette with the unique green and yellow collar is a classic aesthetic combined with modern performance benefits. It’s accompanied by white shorts and white socks with green, yellow, turquoise and blue hoops, colours from the crest. The home goalkeeper in black contrasts with the white out-field shirt. The wider range has taken key attributes from the original Cosmos uniform and placed them onto classic Umbro sportswear silhouettes, adapting the Cosmos character for an off-field sportswear collection.
The sportswear collection comprises of the Anthem Jacket in a green colourway, complete with a yellow, white and green striped collar and ‘New York Cosmos’ applied on the back. A timeless classic in the new Umbro range is the Vintage 1976-77 white shirt featuring Pelé’s famous number 10 on the chest, arm and back, a v-shaped neck and a smart green shirt collar. The running diamond taping, an Umbro icon from the 1970s, has been referenced on the shoulders of the Ringer Tee. And fans of the Umbro checkerboard short will be delighted to see its return as part of The New York Cosmos range in blue. A selection of performance equipment and style accessory pieces in bold colour blocks mirroring the colours of The New York Cosmos crest complete the collection.
Read more on the New York Cosmos and Umbro in the New York Times.
