Umbro Really Made a Chainmail Football Kit
A silver chainmail Umbro football shirt. If you also saw this insane mashup between medieval armor and football gear floating around on Instagram last summer, then you likely also haven’t been able to shake the memory of it.
At a time when high fashion brands are looking to football for inspiration at an unprecedented rate, it took an over-100-year-old sportswear company to cook up the wildest football shirt of them all.
Well, with a little help from a pioneering Milanese concept store.
Umbro’s medieval sportswear is part of a longstanding partnership with Slam Jam debuted last year. And it arrives alongside a full football-themed Spring/Summer 2025 collection designed and distributed by the Italian retailer.
Diving into Umbro’s vast archive of football merch, the collection includes nods to England’s 1997/98 home shirt, designed by Umbro, with the word “LAZY” printed across the chest alongside hoodies and tees with cross-bearing crests.
But Slam Jam isn’t only paying homage to the clothing of footballers and their fans, it’s also taken inspiration from stadium security.
All-black windbreakers and half-zips are a reference to the functional clothing worn by security personnel on match day. And in the hood, an integrated balaclava, a design feature carried over from its popular plaid hoodies of last season.
The first styles from Umbro and Slam Jam’s SS25 collection will be released on March 4 via the Italian store, followed by a second drop on March 18.
At a time when football x fashion collections are plentiful, it takes something more inventive than just a retro shirt rerelease to stand out amongst the crowd. Through chainmail, masks, and provocative slogans, Slam Jam and Umbro are doing just that.
