Kit Design
Arsenal's famous red and white strip has a less obvious heritage than
the crest.
In 1895 a selection of Nottingham Forest players joined the squad,
subsequently bringing their old kit along with them.
Arsenal's economic resources in the 1800's were not as they are today.
Therefore working to a tight budget, the Club decided the most
inexpensive way of acquiring a strip was to kit out the team in the same
colour as the ex-Forest players. So, the very origins of Arsenal's kit
were more by accident than design.
The original kit was red, with long sleeves, a collar and three buttons
down the front. The shirt was worn with white knee length shorts and
heavy woollen socks with blue and white hoops. The goalkeeper wore the
same attire apart from the shirt - which was a hand knitted cream woollen
polo neck jumper.
It was the arrival of manager, Herbert Chapman in 1925 that launched the
Arsenal kit as we know it today. Chapman noticed someone at the ground
wearing a red sleeveless sweater over a white shirt. This inspired him to
create a new strip combining a red shirt with white collar and sleeves.
It also incorporated the Club badge, which was positioned on the left-hand
side of the shirt.
This particular shirt was produced by Bukta, one of the first sportswear
manufacturers in the UK. One of the 1935/36 Bukta kits belonging to winger
Alf Kirchen is displayed in the Arsenal Museum.
In the 1950's a second kit was developed to combat a clash of colours with
opposing teams with similar kits. The next most noticeable development was
the move away from the woven rugby shirt style to a new knitted cotton
jersey shirt in around 1960.
The V-neck was replaced by a round neck trimmed with white together with
white sleeves and red cuffs. In the early 1970's a small white cannon
appeared on the left-hand side of the chest on what otherwise remained a
plain red body. It was this shirt that Arsenal won their first famous
'Double', both the League Championship and the F.A. Cup in the 1970/71
season.
In the late 1970's another logo appeared on the Arsenal shirt. It was a
diamond with the word Umbro underneath. The logo sat on top of the
Gunners' famous cannon. This was the first sign of the sponsor's name
appearing on the strips.
From 1982, until the end of 1999 JVC featured on every Arsenal shirt but
after 17 years of valued support they made way for SEGA Europe. Following
the 2001-02 'Double' season Arsenal signed a new shirt sponsorship deal
with mobile communications company O2 who now have their logo displayed
on the shirts.
The Club's kit manufacturers have also changed in recent years. After
eight years with Adidas, Nike became kit suppliers in 1995. The Club
signed a seven year deal with the American company, allowing the players
to benefit from Nike's revolutionary Dri-Fit technology into the new
Millennium.
球衣設計
阿仙奴傳統的紅白球衣的地位較隊徽的可能略有不及，但卻一樣歷史悠久。
1895年一批諾定咸森林的球員集體加盟阿仙奴，該隊的紅白球衣傳統便正式引入了
球隊。由於球隊當時的資源未及現在的豐富，球隊最省錢的方法就是讓現有球員都
穿上那批在森林加盟的球員的球衣，這一來阿仙奴球衣的歷史可說是因緣際遇節衷
而來的。
那最原始的球衣是長袖紅色的，領口亦如傳統襯衣般有三顆鈕扣，襯以及膝白褲和
重甸甸的紅白圈羊毛襪子。門將的下身衣著和其他球員一樣，只是配以手織羊毛企
領球衣。
球隊在1925年靴拔卓文(Herbert Chapman) 接掌後正式確立和現在相似的球衣模式
。他看見有些球員以白內衣配以紅色無袖汗衣出戰，靈機一觸建議一款以紅衣白袖
為題的新球衣，再在球衣左上方配以已確立的隊徽。這款球衣由英國球衣名家貝達
(Bukta)親自主理，而其中一件35-36年造給翼鋒艾夫．基真(Alf Kirchen) 的球衣
現更展示於阿仙奴博物館內。
50年代球隊設計了另一款球衣，以在和對手球衣顏色有衝突時有另一選擇。在60年
左右更突破常規，將一貫欖球式的羊毛球衣改為以棉製造。
70年球衣發展再進一步，圓領白袖的新設計取代了過往 V 領加鈕扣式的球衣，左上
方的大炮隊徽自此確立，也不知此否託球衣之福，阿仙奴甫穿上新球衣便取得聯賽
足總盃雙料冠軍。70年代尾球隊再有新標誌，鑽石加以球衣商Umbro 的標誌被放在
原有的大炮圖案之上，這亦是首次刻有贊助商標誌的球衣。
82-99年的17年間，JVC 成為球隊主題贊助商，球衣中間亦刻有碩大的贊助商標誌，
直至99年方由世嘉取替。2002年球隊再獻新猷，和電訊商 O2 合作設計出新款球衣
，並引入逐變藍的作客球衣顏色，將和球隊同步邁進新紀元。
此外，球衣製造商亦除著時代而變化。球隊經過與愛迪達8年的合作後，於95年交由
耐克(Nike)生產至今。
http://www.arsenal.com/images/theclub/kits.jpg
Arsenal 2002-03 Home & Away Kits
http://www.arsenal.com/images/theclub/history_kit2.gif
--
Arsenal.com
asia.arsenal.com