Every season the debate comes up - which Premier League team has the best (and worst) football kit? With a total of 60 kits between the 20 teams, this is a topic that many football fans have an opinion on.
Inspired by London Fashion Week, we set out to answer the question for the 22/23 season. We weighed up the data from Football Kit Archive, along with insight from Ryan Brockbank at The Fashion Retail Academy. Here’s what we learned.
The People’s Choice: Which Kit Do Football Fans Love The Most?
Arsenal features twice on the top 5 list with their away kit (rated 4.4/5) and their home kit (rated 4.1/5). Newcomers Nottingham Forest come in second place with their third kit (rated 4.2/5). The Crystal Palace third kit featured in third place (Rated 4.2/5) making it the second kit Macron manufactured in this lineup. Adidas got featured three times with the third being the Manchester United Away Kit (rated 4.1/5) which ranked at number 5.
The People’s Choice: Which Kit Do Football Fans Hate The Most?
People seem to dislike yellow with both the Wolves home kit (rated 2.7/5) and the Everton third kit (rated 2.6/5) ranking in the bottom 5. Everton also have their away kit (rated 2.5/5) in the bottom 5, which makes them the only team with two kits in the bottom 5. Unlike the white Manchester United away kit, Newcastle's white third kit (rated 2.4/5) has not been as well received. In last place, we have Tottenham's away kit (rated 1.9/5) which takes the title of Most Hated Kit Of The Season.
The Critic’s Choice: Which Premier League Kit is The Most Fashionable?
We asked our fashion expert to rank his top 5 kits so we can compare them to the public’s most loved kits. These were the results.
In the first place, fashion expert Ryan Brockbank ranked Arsenal’s home kit, unlike the public that preferred the black third kit. He highlighted the kit’s great collar and the classic shoulder 3 stripes which gives it a retro feel.
In second place he opted for Manchester United’s home kit rather than the public’s choice of white away kit. He said: ‘This kit has a great collar with woven tipping which makes it stand out and gives it a retro kit feel.’
For the third to fifth places, the public and our fashion expert went very different routes. Brockbank went for Aston Villa’s away kit, Leicester City’s home kit and Nottingham Forest’s no sponsor home kit. This shows that while the public enjoyed the crazy patterns on the Arsenal Away Kit and Nottingham Forest’s third kit when it comes to fashion, nothing beats a simple kit.
The Critic’s Choice: Which Premier League Kit is The Most Unfashionable?
We asked our fashion expert to rank his worst 5 kits so we can compare them to the public’s most hated kits. These were the results
The only kit to appear on both the public’s list as well as our fashion expert’s list was the Tottenham away kit. Our fashion expert Ryan Brockbank said “The kit just does not work. The colours do not blend well together and the central crest design looks odd with the sponsor.”
In last place, Brockbank placed the Liverpool home kit which he described as “too simple”.
He also said “ It could be just a red t-shirt. It needs at least a contrast trim on the collar and cuffs to make it stand out.” Comparing it to the Manchester United home kit you can see exactly what he means.
Adding details could also backfire as with the West Ham Home Kit. Brockbank said: “The new details spoiled the kit. The classic Umbro strip across the sleeve would have made it much better.”
In 54th & 56th place we find the complete opposite of simple with the Brentford Third Kit described by Brockbank as “a Jackson Pollock print” and the Southampton away kit described as “not wearable anywhere outside of the house”. This shows the importance of taking risks with kits, but also maintaining harmony with the design.
Which Premier League Team is the Most Fashionable: Home, Away, and Third Kit Combined
We’ve weighed up the public’s opinion as well as expert opinion on the best kits. So how does each team line up when we look at all three kits together? We’ve totted up the numbers to see which team comes out on top, along with insight from Brockbank.
1. Arsenal
Public rating: 12.4/15
What Do Fashion Experts Think About The Lineup?
‘A classic Adidas 3 stripes home kit, with traditional colour for a smart look. They have a nice away shirt. I particularly like the gold detailing retro print. It is very reminiscent of the 90s banana kit print.’
2. Crystal Palace
Public rating: 12.4/15
What Do Fashion Experts Think About The Lineup?
‘This is a great Palace home shirt, especially with the unique take on the stripe detailing. This is visible on all three of their kits. You can also see some nice red tipping on the collar and cuffs which helps tie everything together.’
3. Nottingham Forest
Public rating: 11.4/15
What Do Fashion Experts Think About The Lineup?
‘A very unusual lineup without a kit sponsor, but it makes for a simple yet beautiful forest home kit. The 2-star detail is also a great addition signifying European cup wins.’
4. Leeds
Public rating: 11.1/15
What Do Fashion Experts Think About The Lineup?
‘All three kits have the iconic shoulder strips from Adidas. The home kit is classic white with yellow detail. All three kits make great use of the sponsor logo, especially with the colour contrast.’
5. AFC Bournemouth
Public rating: 11.1/15
What Do Fashion Experts Think About The Lineup?
‘This kit lineup includes a classic Umbro design, with a unique take on the striping visible throughout the lineup. We also see the traditional V neck colour, with a retro 80s feel featured especially in the away kit.’
6. Manchester United
Public rating: 11/15
What Do Fashion Experts Think About The Lineup?
‘The red home kit is the classic pinstripe United shirt reminiscent of the classic 1999 shirt. Adidas also brought back the classic shield badge on all their kits. Overall the lineup showcases a range of nice colours with contrast shoulder stripes.’
7. Leicester City
Public rating: 10.9/15
What Do Fashion Experts Think About The Lineup?
‘Adidas went the 70s style route with this kit lineup. The kit colour matches really well with the shoulder stripes in each of the three kits, especially on the home one.’
8. Westham United
Public rating: 10.9/15
What Do Fashion Experts Think About The Lineup?
‘Umbro has been making West Ham kits for a while, but for the 2022/23 lineup, they have gone for a bold shoulder detail, reminiscent of the 90s Adidas kits. You can clearly see it on the home kit’s shoulder and on the cuffs of the away kit.’
9. Brighton & Hove Albion
Public rating: 10.8/15
What Do Fashion Experts Think About The Lineup?
‘There is no collar on this season's Brighton shirt, with pin stripe detailing down the front and the classic swoosh making for a great kit lineup.’
10. Brentford
Public rating: 10.6/15
What Do Fashion Experts Think About The Lineup?
‘The home kit has some nice Umbro detailing on the neckline and of course the classic Brentford stripes. The third kit is summed up perfectly by its sponsor’. A bit “Hollywood”!’
11. Aston Villa
Public rating: 10.5/15
What Do Fashion Experts Think About The Lineup?
‘Castore has entered the Premier League kit game and with a great logo, sponsor and Villa badge. It all comes together for a great lineup. The away kit has a strong 80s aesthetic with pin stripe detailing, V neck and piping.’
12. Liverpool
Public rating: 10.4/15
What Do Fashion Experts Think About The Lineup?
‘Nike were pretty experimental with the away and third kits, but for the home kit is it just a simple Nike design with the swoosh and traditional Liverpool badge.’
13. Manchester City
Public rating: 10.2/15
What Do Fashion Experts Think About The Lineup?
‘Puma continues with its unique football kit designs with the badge and logo placed in the centre of the kit. The Etihad sponsor adds a touch of elegance to the kit as it is up there with the iconic sponsors, such as Sharp, Panasonic, and Candy.’
14. Southampton
Public rating: 10.2/15
What Do Fashion Experts Think About The Lineup?
‘It’s nice to see Hummel moving away from the multiple red and white stripes of the 90s and 2000s. The Saints kit goes back to a 70s design with the bold centre stripe and centre logo design. Not much to say about the third kit, and the less said about the away kit the better.’
15. Newcastle United
Public rating: 9.7/15
What Do Fashion Experts Think About The Lineup?
‘As with a lot of kits in the 2022/23 lineup all three designs from Castore have a retro feel to them. They also all have contrast tipping on the collar and cuffs which adds a lot to the design.’
16. Wolverhampton Wanderers
Public rating: 9.7/15
What Do Fashion Experts Think About The Lineup?
‘Great lineup from Castore. I especially like the home kit design. Castore made a really nice yellow shirt with black shoulder detailing and crisp club badge.’
17. Chelsea
Public rating: 9.4/15*
What Do Fashion Experts Think About The Lineup?
‘Chelsea's home kit has a really nice hidden pattern on a round, fitted collar. This comes together with the white away kit pattern to make for a very fashionable lineup.’
18. Tottenham Hotspur
Public rating: 9.3/15
What Do Fashion Experts Think About The Lineup?
‘The home kit is a simple, plain Spurs shirt with a 70s style club crest on the right and a classic swoosh on the left. This simplicity is contrasted really well with both the away and third kit’s wild designs making it a very unique lineup. ‘
19. Everton
Public rating: 8.6/15
What Do Fashion Experts Think About The Lineup?
‘The kit showcases Hummel’s famous chevron design throughout the lineup. This also evokes memories of the Denmark 1986 shirt.’
20. Fulham
Public rating: 6.9/15*
What Do Fashion Experts Think About The Lineup?
‘Adidas used the same great template as the Arsenal home kit, but without the colour. They also make great use of the Fulham logo in both kits.’
How Popular Is Each Premier League Team Kit Lineup?
According to data from the football kit archive we see that people love the new Arsenal kit line up giving it a rating of 12.4/15. The black third kit, as well as the red home kit, were featured in our top 5 kits list making arsenal the clear winner of the most fashionable kit lineup title. Crystal Palace and Nottingham Forest ranked 2nd and 3rd respectively with their great mix of simple and wild kits in their lineups.
How Popular Is Each Kit Manufacturer?
The data from the football kit archive also showed the average rating for each kit manufacturer. We have Macron on top with an average rating of 4/5 for their kits. They only manufacture kits for Crystal Palace and Nottingham Forest, but both were fan favourites. Coming in the close second we have Adidas with an average rating of 3.7 and Umbro with an average rating of 3.6.
Methodology
We gathered all the premier league kits from the official Premier League website and then asked our expert Ryan Brockbank from Fashion Retail Academy to comment on each of the lineups and rank the top 5 best and worst kits. We also asked him to explain his decisions from a fashion perspective.
We got the general public data from the Football Kit Archive where hundreds of people vote for each kit out of 5.
Our Fashion Expert’s Bio: Ryan Brockbank
Ryan graduated from Brighton University in 2017 and was voted one of the best 25 collections of graduate fashion week.
He went on to work at the Brighton and London Tailor Gresham Blake, and then Nicholas Oakwell, whilst freelancing for Anthony Symonds.
During this time, he had my own menswear label, Tailored Casuals, a fusion of classic menswear tailoring and classic football aesthetic.
He moved into the education sector a few years ago and is now the Programme Manager for Fashion Design at the Fashion Retail Academy.
