The Evolution of The Umbro Brand & Kit Designs Since Nike Sold Them In 2012 By Ex-Adidas Designer Marcus Dilley

Jul 9, 2019

by Chris

Some years ago, there was a time when the future looked anything but bright for one of the most historic brands in football history - Umbro. The UK Double Diamond brand had been brought by Nike in 2007 in a deal worth GB£285 million, but the Swoosh was not successful to bring back the brand to glory...

The Swoosh unassigned the most important teams of Umbro to themselves (Nike) or did not continue Umbro's existing partnerships, including the England national team who ditched Umbro for Nike in 2012 - and all that before Umbro was ultimately sold in late 2012 - In October 2012, Nike announced that it had agreed with Iconix Brand Group to sell Umbro for US$225 million.

Umbro kit design before Nike took over

Umbro kit design after Nike took over

Nobody knew what Iconix would do with Umbro in 2014, and if there would be a future for the brand in football on the big stage. Then, in February 2014, it was announced that Umbro would supply Everton from the start of the 2014–15 football season. This was the first new club announcement since Iconix Brand Group bought Umbro, and should be followed by more deals in the next years.

Now Umbro supplies kits for dozens teams worldwide again - ex-Adidas designer Marcus Dilley took a look at the how the Iconix brand group increased focus on establishing the Umbro brand back within the market.

Marcus Dilley Experienced Apparel/Graphic Designer with a demonstrated history of working in the sporting goods industry in partnership with the worlds biggest brands, leagues and teams. In 2018, following his exit from Adidas, he founded his own design agency - Dilley Studio. Dilley Studio is a specialist Sports Apparel and Graphic Design studio that has been founded to break convention.

Umbro Kit Design Evolution - 2014-2019 By Marcus Dilley

Thread by @MDill38: "Umbro A thread: Since the purchase of the Umbro brand by Iconix in 2012 the brand has been steadily growing in terms of visibility, especial […]"

Many football kit fanatics do love Umbro and the brand, ad would love to see them making England's, Man Utd's or other really big team's kits again. But that seems unlikely as of now with the sums involved nowadays - at least we think so.

How do you think Umbro will evolve in the future? Share your thoughts in the comments below and check out Markus Dilley's sports design agency Dilley Studio.