Manchester’s finest, Sir (OK, perhaps not yet, but it’s certainly deserved) Peter Saville, is a designer of the highest calibre… his back catalogue of work is unrivaled in it’s influence on modern popular culture. From the iconic Factory Records sleeves of Joy Division’s Closer, New Order’s groundbreaking Blue Monday 12″ and the beautiful cover of their 1983 album Power, Corruption and Lies, through his collaborations with the world’s leading fashion houses and to his work as Creative Director of the city of Manchester, Saville’s designs have always held an elegance, simplicity and sophistication that have seen him stride above his peers – becoming a true design icon of his time….
The England football team, on the other hand, have lurched from one crisis to another – culminating in this Summer’s dismal showing in South Africa. Perhaps then his latest fashion collaboration, with Umbro, will see some of his magic rubbing off on the national team… “inspired by English tailoring heritage”, the shoulders of the shirt are coated with Saville’s reinterpretation of the St George’s cross – a statement that represents the “increasingly diverse fabric of England”. With an accompanying campaign that features England’s young blood – and even a selection of the country’s top female prospects – and carries the slogan “The New Fabric of England”, it looks that Umbro are hoping, like the rest of us, for a new dawn in English football. Yet, unlike shirts designed by modern pop culture icons, how many of those have we been promised before?
Words By;
James Davidson; Editor in Chief