Back in the 90s Umbro’s Pro Training range was the clothing of choice for professional teams, dominating the scene at the time. Now, decades later, and following a nostalgia-driven shift into the lifestyle space, it’s making its way back on to the performance scene.
The 90s were an iconic period in English footballing history, littered with memorable moments. It kicked off with Italia ’90 and Gazza’s tears, took in the start of the big, bright and bold Premier League and what was a new era for the game, and saw the international game back on home soil with Euro ’96, the first time in 30 years. And if there’s one symbol that could truly encapsulate all of those key moments in history, one symbol that instantly conjures up images from that period in time, it would surely be Umbro’s Double Diamond.
There’s arguably no logo in English footballing history that carries with it as much nostalgia as the Double Diamond. The brand’s Pro Training range was huge in the 90s thanks to its appearance on the England national team, with its appeal only growing throughout the early years of the Premier League thanks to appearances on 11 of the original 22 teams, including Manchester United. Just stop and think about that for a moment – that’s half of the teams in the league wearing Umbro’s iconic logo. It’s the type of mainstream exposure that brands today would kill for; there’s just no way today’s Premier League would be dominated by one brand in that way. Simply put, think 90s football and Umbro will never be far behind.
As part of the numerous partnerships, Umbro supplied teams with their Pro Training range for outside of match conditions. It built a reputation as the training apparel for professional teams, and it bolstered the already impressive standing of the Manchester-based brand. Because of this seemingly simple association, the Pro Training range instantly achieved a higher status of desirability – it was one of the first instances of marketing training wear through player-attribution, something that is far more common place today. It all served to give the brand and specifically the Pro Training range cult status, something that would give it a longevity that would see it grow beyond the borders of the white lines.
Flash forward several years and following the sale of Umbro by Nike in 2012, the English brand has steadily gone about reinventing itself, drawing on its rich heritage and exploring numerous collaborations that have put key nostalgia pieces – not least the Pro Training range – in a lifestyle environment, perhaps most notable through the collaboration with The Rig Out, which saw a couple of instalments across 2015 and 2016. While this lifestyle shift has been no bad thing, Umbro is now going about resetting the Pro Training identity for the modern day, placing it back within the professional environment from where it originated.
And so we now see Umbro’s roster of Premier League teams (West Ham, Brentford and Burnley) all suiting up in a modern day version of the Pro Training range. They’re joined by other pro teams from outside the footballing world, including England’s rugby team, Bristol Bears and Ospreys. Pro Training is once again the range for the Elite level, but this time it’s not only exclusively for those pro teams fortunate enough to carry the Double Diamond logo, with a new range of training wear being available to any athlete.
The logo has been tweaked for the modern day, taking off the sharp angles and replacing them with softer curves throughout, ensuring it remains identifiable and dynamic while becoming applicable to modern use. The result is a refresh that communicates its identifiable history while maintaining a contemporary and structured aesthetic. Of course, the logo would be nothing without the tech to back it up, and so modern day innovations are utilised throughout, ensuring the clothing offers all the advantages that science can provide.
The new Pro Training collection is engineered to perform in any arena, and designed to boost performance. The collection is built for durability as well as comfort using ultra lightweight, quick-drying, 4-way stretch fabrics with options to cover men's and women's training needs.
Umbro as a brand is evolving once more, showing the ability to draw on its rich heritage, while still keeping the ethos that made it so popular in the 90s, pushing the boundaries all the while. As part of that evolution, Pro Training is back in Elite sports, delivering for the highest of performance levels once more, and we couldn't be happier.
Shop Umbro Pro Training wear at prodirectsoccer.com
