Global sports company PUMA has today unveiled the AC Milan Third kit for the 2021/22 season to be worn by the men’s, women’s and youth teams, in their respective competitions.
The bold new progressive jersey takes traditional design and rewrites the rules to push the boundaries of football kit design.
As part of PUMA’s Faster Football movement, the brand aims to challenge convention, innovate, and bring fresh products to football. The 2021/22 AC Milan Third kit creates a new expression of the club’s identity on the front of the jersey by reimagining the traditional football kit in a brand-new approach merging football and streetwear culture.
PUMA and AC Milan transcend convention by celebrating the club’s name and identity as the central element of the jersey. The slick black jersey with red detailing takes the clubs crest and repositions it on the back of the jersey beneath the collar. The jersey also features an innovative use of the club’s crest as a tonal repeat graphic embossed into the fabric to create a striking and unique effect. The most eye-catching feature of the jersey is the placement at the heart, of the club’s name ‘AC MILAN’, emblazed across the front of the jersey in the club’s bespoke font, with the PUMA cat centrally positioned to add balance to the visionary design.
“I am a big fan of the design, it’s very unique. The name across the front is such a cool feature and the effect with all the badges integrated into the fabric is amazing,” said AC Milan striker Olivier Giroud.
The new AC Milan Third jersey combines 100% recycled polyester with advanced PUMA dryCELL thermoregulation technology to ensure uncompromising fit and mobility, keeping athletes dry and comfortable. The jersey integrates an ultra-light jacquard structure into the back of the jersey to enhance breathability during intense performance. PUMA has also utilized an innovative Dope Dye manufacturing process to drastically reduce the amount of water and dye used during production, to further their goals of creating more sustainable products.
Driven by PUMA’s brand DNA to be brave, the new design defies convention, taking inspiration from other sports and key streetwear and fashion trends.
“Our aim was to challenge traditional football jersey design. We wanted to look at the AC Milan Third kit through a new lens and push the boundaries as far as possible. It is easy to play safe, but we want to change perceptions of a conventional football jersey”, said Carl Tuffley, Senior Head of Design Teamsport. “The Third kit presented an opportunity to be bold, so we wanted to reenergize these jerseys and take a new direction.”
Casper Stylsvig, Chief Revenue Officer at AC Milan said: “This new Third kit, beautifully designed by PUMA, revolutionizes the aesthetic of a traditional football jersey. We pride ourselves in being a progressive global brand, so this kit perfectly aligns with our ambitions. At the same time, it also celebrates the convergence of football, fashion and lifestyle, something that as a club we have always been keen to explore in our effort of positioning AC Milan as one of the most cutting-edge brands in the world.”
The new AC Milan Third kit was launched in a special digital launch event ‘The Show’, which featured special appearances from AC Milan’s Olivier Giroud and Laura Giuliani. ‘The Show’ was streamed on PUMA’s YouTube channel at 19:00pm (CEST) on the 18th of August.
Rewrite the rules with the AC Milan Third kit available exclusively from 19:30pm CEST on August 18th at PUMA.com and store.milan.com. The new kit will then be available on global release in PUMA stores, AC Milan official stores and leading retailers worldwide from the 19th of August at 9:00am CEST.