Swansea City 12/13 Kit Review - Swansea's answer to Gok Wan!

Firstly, to clarify: I am not Gok Wan - I'm not half Chinese (though am partial to a dim sum) and my opinions in the world of fashion are not well respected. However, I like to think I know at least something about the only fashion that should matter to you readers: Swansea City kits!

We've now had 100 years of Swansea kits to enjoy, from the simplicity of the earlier years to the over complicated designs we saw in the 90's.

While the 2010/11 home shirt was pretty nice - white with black trim and Adidas stripes - there was nothing immense about it. No real 'wow factor' (I assume that is something Gok says?), and nothing significant to celebrate Swansea's promotion to the Premier League. But, as I say, it was nice enough.


However, last seasons' orange away kit was one of the worst we've had for a while in my opinion, in both design and effort, especially after finding out that it was no more than a generic training top reissued with a Swans badge. An insult if you ask me.

But I'm willing to forgive Adidas after seeing the effort that has gone into the centenary kit.

When I first saw the kits for the 2011/12 season I was surprised and satisfied (in that order). After a few ordinary seasons, we now see a shirt worth getting excited about! Let's have a look at it.

The Badge

To mark 100 years of Swansea City, the club designed a centenary badge, which was a brilliant idea. There are many websites, books and events planned to celebrate 100 years of the club, so it was only expected that the logo designers follow suit and conjure up something special. This special badge features on both the home and away kits, in addition to a selection of jackets and training tops.

Naturally, we all love the standard Swans logo, but to have a one-off edition made especially to celebrate the centenary is a smart move. The bevelled-edge shield features something that resembles an actual swan, the words centenary and the important text: Swansea City A.F.C 1912-2012. I like it – it's fit for the celebration and adds to the collector appeal of this new shirt.

Home Shirt

Never has a blogger looked so awkward...

Swansea City will walk out on the Liberty Stadium pitch in what must be their most princely kit yet. It's the white we all expected (no red re-branding in Swansea thankfully...) but with a luxurious twist: gold!

Not just a bit of gold here and there, but gold Adidas stripes, gold Swans badge and even a gold 32 Red logo! It's a bold move changing from white and black to white and gold, but, like the new badge, for a one off and a celebration of 100 years of Swansea City it was a worthy gamble that has paid off with the fans.

So far, every supporter I've spoken to seems to love its over-the-top statement, but simple design. Hopefully it will reflect and compliment the style of football that the Swans will play under Michael Laudrup. It's so stylish, even Alan Tate may look good.

You'll notice I've had my name on the back. I could have had Graham, Sinclair, Williams, Vorm, Rangel... but who knows where they'll be playing in a year from now, so why risk it. No, go with your own name. You'll be that bit less depressed when your favourite player leaves the club as you won't need any re-stitching.

I'm also enjoying the appearance of 'The Jacks' stitched onto the back of the shirt – a classy finishing touch and a nod to the fans.

Away Shirt

Initially I was indifferent when seeing the almost garish away kit, though it has grown on me. It's a typical Adidas design, but combines two colours not usually seen together in the Swans back catalogue: red and green - the colours of Wales. It's another bold move, but it works. It promotes the fact that Swansea City are the first Welsh football team to land (and stay in) the Premier League. There was no need to change the name of the team to... say, the Red Dragons.

 

However patriotic the colours are, I find they clash a bit and it may be a problem for the style conscious fan. Naturally it is designed to be worn with white shorts, thus completing the Welsh flag feel, but for those of us who rarely wear white shorts, it would have been even better if the design incorporated a little more white into the top to break up the greed and red.

Let's hope squad do us proud in both shirts!

Expert opinion!

I'll be frank with you - I couldn't find a non-football fashion expert who was willing to give their view on the shirt. I tried, but the fashion world is stuck up it's own arse when it comes to football kits it seems.

However, I convinced my long-suffering, football-hating girlfriend, Becci, to have a look at both shirts and give me her honest opinion. This is basically how our chat panned out:

Becci: I think you're asking the wrong person because I think all football shirts are awful.
Chris: Right... Anyway, this is the away shirt (shows photo)
Becci: It looks like the Welsh rugby top to me. It is quite smart though. But if you saw them on the football field wearing the shirt you wouldn't say it was Swansea.
Chris: So you like it?
Becci: It doesn't look cheap like some of the other kits. It's nice.

Becci's score: 8/10

Chris: This is the new home kit (shows photo)
Becci: Is that actually it? Oh my god that is fu**ing awful. It looks tacky with the gold. I have nothing else to say about it.
Chris: Say something else please, I have a blog to fill.
Becci: ... is there a reason it's gold?
Chris: It's to celebrate 100 years history of Swansea City.
Becci: Oh. I just think they could've made more of an effort. I suppose it is quite nice. I just think the gold looks tacky though.

Becci's score: 6/10

So, while I assume Becci does not reflect the whole non-football loving world, it seems the away kit is a hit, while the home kit needs a bit more work. Keep this in mind for next time Adidas...

I'll be back soon for more Swans news as we head into the 'looking ahead to next season' stage of the summer. In the meantime I'd like to say a big, big thank you to Idealo.co.uk for supplying the shirt for me to review and Becci for her opinions.

See you next time!