An in-depth look at Arsenal’s new 2012/13 away kit [images]

Arsenal will wear an adventurous new away kit this season and its eye-catching design marks a new direction for the club – it combines a rich purple base with black hoops.

Taking visual inspiration from high street fashion, the kit is on-trend and by using such a regal colour in the year of the Diamond Jubilee celebrations, it also honours the club’s historical royal links. The Gunners were known as ‘Royal Arsenal’ in the 1890’s having been formed at the Arsenal munitions factory in Woolwich, south London. Originally bearing the name ‘Dial Square’ after one of the factory’s workshops, the founding fathers decided to merge the name of a pub they met in – Royal Oak – with their place of work.

The red trim on the shirt cuffs compliment the purple body and pay homage to the home kits that are so identifiable with the club, whilst the differing hoop patterns on the body and the sleeves of the shirt give it a modern day twist.

The inner back neck graphic takes the form of the club’s motto, ‘Victoria Concordia Crescit’, Latin for ‘Victory Through Harmony’. Meanwhile, the outer back neck graphic pays tribute to legendry manager Herbert Chapman’s innovative WM formation.

The purple and black hooped socks, bearing one red hoop each, again pay tribute to Chapman’s legacy, as it was he who introduced hooped socks – he reasoned that they would make it easier for his players to pick one another out on the pitch.

Whilst the kit combines modern sport and youth style to give the club a striking new look, Nike’s innovations give the team the most technologically advanced kit to aid athlete comfort and performance.

The new home kit is made from Nike’s ground-breaking recycled polyester, making it Nike’s most environmentally friendly kit ever produced. Each kit (shirt and shorts) is made using up to thirteen recycled plastic water bottles and this innovative manufacturing process reduces energy consumption by up to 30% compared to manufacturing traditional polyester. Since 2010 Nike has used an estimated 1115 million recycled plastic bottles to create its high performance kits.

The kits are made out of 23% lighter fabric with 20% stronger knit structure than Nike’s previous kits and feature Nike Dri-FIT technology to wick moisture away from athletes to help keep them cool and dry on-pitch.

Kits have bonded re-enforced T-bar junctions that support critical seams on the shirt and shorts and inner welded seams with a flat finish construction to improve comfort and performance. Temperature regulation is helped by ventilation zones, consisting of a series of tiny laser cut holes from the under arms to the waistband, allowing air to circulate and keep players comfortable.

Nike Pro Combat base-layers are used by athletes to compliment playing kits, further enhancing comfort and increasing protection from injury. Meanwhile both fans and players can enjoy Nike’s Arsenal Sportswear collection off the pitch, a collection inspired by the club’s heritage.

The kit and extended line is available for pre-order from www.arsenaldirect.com and will be available in stores from 09/08/2012.

Here are a few snaps of Alex Song, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Theo Walcott, Jack Wilshere and Wojciech Szczesny all styling out the new away kit:

I would like to thank Donal MacCrann who works for Nike’s PR agency, Freud Communications, for providing me with this information as well as the media files attached to this blog.

Let us know what you think of the new kit by leaving your thoughts and comments below