Umbro celebrates 100 years of sportswear with new exhibition

The Westminster Menswear Archive, part of University of Westminster in London, has opened a new exhibition exploring 100 years of the Manchester-founded brand Umbro, and its influence on British sportswear.

The free ‘Umbro 100: Sportswear x Fashion’ exhibition is open until April 28 and features more than 120 archive Umbro styles drawn from the Westminster Menswear Archive, including historical examples of Umbro’s sportswear from 1936 to the present day from football, rowing, boxing, athletics, hockey, and basketball to explore how the relationship between sportswear and fashion has evolve in the last century.

Split into five sections, the exhibition opens with an exploration of the company’s beginnings in 1924 in Manchester and the popularity of football amongst the working class, examining how Umbro combined textiles, sport and style to build and evolve their business.

The next section focuses on ‘England,’ both on and off the football pitch, and how the national identity has evolved. Starting with England’s iconic 1966 World Cup shirt, the exhibit deconstructs the England shirt, showcasing how Kim Jones used the Tudor rose, how Christopher Raeburn’s deconstructed historical kits, and Peter Saville’s reimagined St Georges cross, which came to symbolise a more inclusive modern England.

This leads into ‘Tailored’ and a look at how sportswear has been ‘Tailored by Umbro’ with an emphasis on the importance of good fit, cut, and construction, featuring seven archetypical Umbro garments chosen by Aitor Throup for his Archive Research Project in 2011 (Ramsey Jacket, Drill Top, Drill Pant, Barcelona Shorts, Diamond Tape Track Jacket, 1970 World Cup Jersey, Long Sleeve Jersey).

Westminster Menswear Archive opens new exhibition examining Umbro’s influence on British sportswear

The fourth section ‘Replica’ investigates how sportswear functions as a uniform, examining the development and use of template designs and how it has enabled the continuation of a strong visual identity that can be modified over time to create both familiarity and uniqueness.

The exhibition concludes with ‘Diamond’ exploring the evolution of branding as it moved from the inside to the outside of garments in both sportswear and fashion and Umbro’s iconic diamond logo that has been a part of its brand identity since at least 1934. Highlight includes Kim Jones first collection with Umbro in 2005, where the diamond became a small discrete motif referencing the patterns found on the back of playing cards.

Designers featured include Kim Jones, Aitor Throup, Aries, Palace, Paul Smith, Vetements, Supreme, Philip Treacy, Slam Jam, Off-White, John Smedley, Nigel Cabourn, Christopher Raeburn, Rowing Blazers, House of Holland, and Pretty Green.

Dr Danielle Sprecher, co-curator of Umbro 100, said in a statement: “We spent over five years sourcing these rare collaborations from all over the world, including Japan, Korea, the United States, Brazil, Ukraine, Italy, France, and China, demonstrating Umbro's global reach. The exhibition will be the first time they have been seen together, allowing visitors to see how such a diverse range of designers have reinterpreted British sportswear through Umbro.

“Over the last five years, we have built a unique collection spanning the last 100 years of Umbo sportswear. In addition to the designer collaboration, the archive includes examples of sportswear worn for football, boxing, athletics, rugby, basketball, and hockey.”