From Kit to Kicks: Iconic England Football Shirts Get a Boot-iful Makeover
Ever wondered what it would look like if England's iconic football kits were given a fresh, stylish twist and turned into football boots? Well, wonder no more! Our creative designer and self-confessed England fan, Andy, has taken the beloved shirts of England's football history and reimagined them into some seriously cool boots.
And you know what’s even cooler? Every single design is Andy's own creation - no AI involved!
So, get ready to step into the past with a touch of modern flair as we bring you a mashup of football tradition and cutting-edge design. Whether you’re a die-hard Three Lions fan or just love a good pair of boots, these designs are sure to make you want to lace up and hit the pitch in style!
1990 - Home
Ah, the Umbro England 1990 football shirt – an icon of style and nostalgia that takes us back to the days of Gazza's tears and Lineker's heroics. This classic kit gives us all those feelings of the summer that set the World in Motion. Well, we’ve teamed that up with the Umbro Speciali 1990. The quintessential 1990’s football boot silhouette, worn by none other than Shearer and Owen. The long fold-over tongue is as classic as the shirt, a match made in heaven.
Those deep navy blues and subtle crisp white geometric pattern give the Umbro Speciali a super clean look. Throw in the 1990 lion design as well as those traditional deep red Tudor roses and you’ve got a killer kit/boot combo.
1990 - Third
Despite only ever being worn once competitively (not even at Italia '90) and departing from the traditional national colours, this sensational third strip has become the quintessential retro England shirt. Any time England are in a tournament you’ll see this beauty all over beer gardens, festivals and watch parties. It’s more than just a cult classic, this is a beautiful work-of-art which encapsulates the joy, insanity and style of English football in the '90s. It’s a nostalgic masterpiece.
So here’s what you do.. you take that dazzling, rich blue, diamond graphic and pop it onto a 1990 Umbro Speciali, and you’re already onto a belter of a boot and we've only just started. We’ve made the tongue that dark navy found on the collar of the kit and snuck one of the 3 lions from 1990 within the pattern too. We reckon we’re onto a bobby dazzler.
1996 - Home
This pearly number didn’t just serve as our home shirt for Euro ‘96, but it also came at the height of Umbro’s “experimental” phase. A bold move which undoubtedly raised a few eyebrows (Twitter would have been in meltdown), this actually helped to freshen things up a bit and ultimately, it came to symbolise an iconic footballing summer. The new collar was absolutely fantastic, while switching to a text-based Umbro logo and central crest were two inspired choices.
We’ve pulled out the very special Umbro Speciali 1996 for this one. Now, the shirt itself is a fairly simple design, so that's been mirrored on the boot. The deep navy can be found on that classic tongue with those cyan hues replicated on the edges, with the lion prowling amongst those Tudor roses on the heel.
1996 - Away
A true icon of football fashion that evokes memories of Euro '96 and "Three Lions" echoing through the stands. This shirt, with its clean white base and classic Umbro design, was as sharp as Shearer's finishing. This shirt is more than just a piece of football attire; it's a symbol of national pride, of Gazza's brilliance, and of that ‘almost-was’ summer. A perfect blend of style and nostalgia, it reminds us of the days when football almost came home.
We start again with the Umbro Speciali 1996, a grey base intertwined with that handsome retro line pattern. The tongue sports the red and white stripes found on the collar and of course, we’ve gone and popped a lion and roses in there too.
2024 - Home
So, we arrive in 2024. A whole new generation, a whole new brand, a whole new sense of enthusiasm that football may well just come home. Okay, that last one might be a bit of a stretch, but at least we have some fresh new designs from Nike. Nike have been with England since 2013 but this clean, modern, new design was begging for a boot remix.
We kick off with the Nike Mercurial Superfly for the base. One of the most popular football boots on the planet, and has been for well over 20 years. We’ve painted it a clean white and added the red and blue colour bands from the shirt cuffs to the sock collar.
With 2024 comes a new England crest, so we've added the updated lion design to the side, emerging through the semi transparent, frosty soul-plate. Of course, we've coupled that with the new, colourful Tudor roses that have been dotted around the lion and we think this boot might just be as fresh as it gets.
2024 - Away
This is where we break away from the traditional red away shirt. Nike have released this new purple beauty, officially labelled as “Dark Raisin”. This kit has all the hallmarks of a classic yet it has dots of modern twists, like that tasty side panel graphic for those forward thinking fashionistas or those regal gold lions that work so well.
Once again, we start with the Nike Mercurial Superfly as a base and add a splash of that clean “Dark Raisin”. We thought to replicate the side panel graphic on the back of the heel to mirror the shirt. For the final touch we've added one of the golden lions found in the crest to the side of the boot along with a bevelled outline to the edge that continues over the "AIR" type.
