Hummel UK’s head of design has revealed the idea behind Everton’s Black Watch-inspired away kit and the process involved in bringing the vision to life.
The Toffees and their Danish kit manufacturer unveiled the shirt - a remake of the club’s iconic sash strip of 1881/82 - at the end of last season and it was first worn at Manchester City on the final day of the Premier League campaign.
Since then, the Blues have enjoyed two wins in the kit, claiming a 2-0 victory at Brighton before beating Huddersfield in the Carabao Cup.
It has proved a hit with supporters and hummel’s designer Robert Revell has explained how the historic jersey was thought up.
“It hasn’t been done before,” he said in the first episode of BEHIND THE CHEVRONS, hummel’s new YouTube series .
“The fans have been crying out for a Black Watch remake so if you’re going to do it you need to stay really pure with it.
“I think that’s the great thing we tried to do, so the only detail is the sash, which is pink not red - that was actually concepted!”
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Insisting the colour featured was not that of the Blues’ city rivals - it was actually described as ‘burnt orange’ on release - Revell admitted there were some concerns about how the colour tone may be perceived but consulted with Everton throughout the kit’s conception.
“We have a really good relationship with the club and Fanatics,” Revell said. “Fanatics have got a load of Everton supporters for them there so we get good fan insight before we go into production so with this we were kind of confident.
“We knew that this was probably going to cause a few issues, maybe, but sales say otherwise.”
Revell was keen to ensure the history behind the shirt was a key element of the design, giving the Everton story even more prominence than the brand making the shirt infact.
“This is probably one of the most historical kits,” he said. “The only colour on it is the sash - all the Chevrons, the hummel, the authentic signs, everything else is tonal.
“[We] didn’t want to do anything else to promote hummel, it was more about promoting an historical kit.”
So, what is the process and how long does it take to design and produce a kit? Well, longer than you’d think perhaps.
“We go and meet with the club, a lot,” he revealed. “The kit process generally is a year.
“We start the concept, then design, [going] backwards and forwards, sign off and then the hard work starts because you’ve got to tell somebody else how to make a drawing.
“That’s generally where design work gets done and the finite details get added.”
Everton and Southampton are hummel’s Premier League representatives after the Saints too teamed up with the kit makers for this season and the two met on the opening day of the season with Rafa Benitez’s side running out 3-1 winners.
Revell was delighted to see his designs feature in the Goodison Park clash and said: “It’s pretty cool.
“Everybody grew up with Match of the Day, so when we got our first kit on Match of the Day it was a great moment.
“I think it was the first Premier League hummel derby ever so not a bad start to the season.”
