3 Hits and 3 Misses: The Best and Worst of Adidas' New 2023 National Team Kits
Adidas have added six new teams to their international stable this year, and with all but one set of kits already unveiled, we've separated the wheat from the chaff.
Adidas show off the best and the worst
Adidas 2023 National Team Kits - Hits and Misses
Peru, Italy, Jamaica, Kuwait, and Costa Rica have all launched their new 2023 Adidas kits, but Saudi Arabia's are yet to come. Naturally, some of these teams are more marketable, high profile or historically successful than others, meaning their kits were not all designed equally. Here are our picks of the three best and three worst national team shirts we've seen from Adidas this year.
Our three hits and misses are also personal opinions - they differ from the best and worst of the users Football Kit Archive, which are defined by ratings of hundreds of users.
The top-three rated Adidas 2023 national team kits by people are Jamaica's 2023 home, Peru's 2023 home, and Italy's 2023 away - we love Italy's and Jamaica's 2023 home kits, while we are no fans of Peru's standard home kit.
Our list is of course also a personal opinion
The worst three kits of Football Kit Archive users are quite different from our personal opinion - we are fans of the Peru 2023 away kit, which is medium-rated by the public. The Kuwait kits are very bad for apparently everyone. Costa Rica's 2023 away kit, meanwhile, splits opinions like a few other shirts.
Jamaica Home - Hit
With a population of under 3 million and a solitary World Cup appearance to their name, Jamaica is not an obvious choice for the special treatment they're receiving from Adidas. What they lack in footballing prowess and historical success, they make up for in cultural identity. And they've got a fantastic set of home colours. Fashion designer Grace Wales Bonner - who herself is of Jamaican origin - was brought in by Adidas for the job and they should be very satisfied with her work.
The faint pinstripes are a new look for the Reggae Boyz and contribute greatly to the balance of the shirt, but the colour application on the cuffs, collar, and hemline are what really give the shirt its character.
Italy Away - Hit
There is still something slightly jarring about the sight of three stripes on an Italy shirt. This is a team after all who didn't allow a manufacturer's logo appear on their kits until the year 1998. For most of their history their shirts have been almost entirely plain, so Adidas' trademark shoulder branding is quite the change from that aesthetic.
Their away kits have historically been more or less completely white, so the marble effect Adidas opted for is an even bigger departure from tradition. Although a tonal variation is present on the home shirt, the contrasting navy allows it to stand out on the away and the smattering of gold streaks add even more depth to the design.
Peru Away - Hit
Adidas returned as Peru's kit manufacturer having created some timeless classics for the South American nation in the 70s and 80s. Their 2023 offerings are of course a lot more modern than those earlier shirts, and for us the red away jersey is the stronger of the pair.
It may not be a bespoke design, but the diagonal emphasis on the lattice pattern is a nice modern alternative to the country's famous sash, arguably a better choice than simply inverting the colours of the home jersey.
Kuwait Home - Miss
Last year Kuwait received a beautiful set of kits from Erreà, which in all truth resembled Italy shirts more than anything else. Adidas did not put in nearly as much effort as the Italian brand, handing the emirate a bog standard collection of teamwear shirts with their badge printed on.
Based on the Condivo Match Day 22 template, Adidas did even not bother to update their logo to give the impression of effort and keep the shirts in line with the rest of their 2023 releases. The blue of the home shirt is also one of the basic catalogue colours. With the right colour choices and some minor modifications, teamwear designs can gain some identity, but neither of those boxes have been ticked in this case.
Peru Home - Miss
When designing a Peru home shirt, the inclusion of a red sash is non-negotiable. A quick look at Peru's kit history on footballkitarchive.com reveals that Peru's various manufacturers over the years have come up with plenty of ways to vary it's appearance, be it by altering its colour, angle, length or the by addition of other elements within it.
Adidas played it incredibly safe for their first home shirt of this new partnership, and the result is a a bland, sterile shirt. It lacks detail and although it undoubtedly looks like a Peru home shirt, there is something missing.
Costa Rica Away - Miss
Adidas seemingly had a short lead time ahead of the commencement of this contract, resulting in a pair of 2022 teamwear designs. For the away kit, white was chosen as the base colour with gold accents. The shade of gold is a washed out and the pinstripes are pretty anonymous.
The inclusion of a black version of the rather minimalist new badge was a questionable move. The coloured version from the home shirt may not have matched the overall colourway, but it would at least have given the shirt some semblance of personality.
What do you think of our choices for the best and worst of Adidas' 2023 international kits? Let us know in the comments.
