RIO DE JANEIRO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--NIKE (NYSE:NKE) today unveiled the new Brasil National Team home kit at an event in Rio de Janeiro. The kit, which will be worn by the hosts next summer, combines performance innovation, cultural design cues and environmentally sustainable materials.
“Creating this kit is one of the greatest honors we have at NIKE,” said Trevor Edwards, President of the NIKE Brand. “It’s more than just a player’s uniform, it represents the history of Brasilian football, the five stars, the romance of the game, and the hopes of a nation.”
The kit aids performance by regulating player body temperature and keeping players cool. NIKE Dri-FIT technology pulls moisture away from the skin to the outside of the garment where it evaporates more quickly, and laser-cut holes and engineered mesh in key areas where heat is generated allow for increased breathability and airflow.
In line with NIKE’s commitment to superior performance with lower environmental impact, the shirt, shorts and - for the first time in a national team kit - the socks, all feature fabric made from recycled plastic bottles. Each kit is made using an average of 18 recycled plastic bottles. Since 2010, NIKE has diverted almost 2 billion bottles from landfills, enough to cover over 2800 full-sized football pitches.
“Incorporating environmental sustainability is a key part of the design and development process for us,” said Martin Lotti, Creative Director of NIKE Football. “Our aim is to create a kit that performs for players and is good to the planet.”
Designers utilized three-dimensional body scans of the entire Brasilian National Team to create an updated fit, improving comfort and allowing the body to move naturally within the kit.
Exploring the unique creativity of Brasil, NIKE’s design team sought to replicate the unique and distinct cultures of the nation in the new National Team Kit design, while staying true to the culture and tradition of the classic yellow jersey.
“The Brasilian home kit is like a national flag; it symbolizes the country and its people,” said Lotti. “We wanted to create a fusion of the high speed brilliance of football and the culture of Brasil while staying true to what the home kit represents.”
The jersey features a new Y-neck design that provides both a relaxed fit and comfortable look. The shorts are a classic Brasilian Varsity Royal with a white stripe. Simple and iconic, the fit is slimmer and more tailored to the body based on fit research with a cut specifically designed to aid movement and comfort.
The Brasilian crest has been updated and made slightly larger, with a gold colored metallic weave added to the crest for a shimmering effect. Behind the crest, on the inside of the jersey, is the slogan “Nascido para jogar futebol”- Brasilian Portuguese for “Born to Play Football”.
NIKE also worked with Brasilian Designer Bruno Big to deliver a mark of pride at the inner back neck of each jersey - a small yellow canary motif representing “Canarinho”, the nickname given to the team when they wear the yellow home jersey.
“To wear the 'amarelinha' is an honor for me and my teammates,” says Brazil star Neymar. “Brasil is a very special place to play football, and we want to play hard and win for our country. This kit helps us to do that with both the technology and the inspiration it provides.”
Even the name and numbers on each kit have also been carefully designed with a micro fine pinhole for moisture management and cooling. The style of the name and number is inspired by the classic fonts widely used on Brasilian hand printed street posters. All jerseys worn by players and sold in Brasil are made in Brasil.
The Brasil kit will be available in NIKE stores and on nike.com for pre-order from November 24th and on-sale worldwide from December 5th.
For more information, visit www.nikeinc.com.
About NIKE, Inc.
NIKE, Inc. based near Beaverton, Oregon, is the world's leading designer, marketer and distributor of authentic athletic footwear, apparel, equipment and accessories for a wide variety of sports and fitness activities. Wholly-owned NIKE subsidiaries include Converse Inc., which designs, markets and distributes athletic lifestyle footwear, apparel and accessories and Hurley International LLC, which designs, markets and distributes surf and youth lifestyle footwear, apparel and accessories. For more information, NIKE’s earnings releases and other financial information are available on the Internet at http://investors.nikeinc.com and individuals can follow @NIKE.
