Arsenal Women will make history as they debut the club’s first-ever bespoke women’s kit when they face Manchester United next week.
The Gunners have come to be synonymous with sleek and chic fashion, and the women’s team have taken the club’s thirst for all things vogue and upped the ante with the creation of a ground-breaking away kit and travel range.
It is the first time the club's women's team will wear a different kit to their male counterparts with the strip launched in collaboration with fashion designer Stella McCartney.
The limited-edition range is fronted by a brand-new away kit featuring a funky fusion of bold geometric patterns accentuated in bright pink and pastel blue. The landmark kit will be worn when the Gunners travel to Leigh Sports Village to face last year’s WSL runners-up next Friday in an early clash of titans.
Beyond the match-day experience, the collection also includes joggers, an oversized tee and full zip jacket boasting bold neon pink and blue accents.
Chelsea complete record-breaking Enzo Fernandez transfer after deadline day rushMeanwhile, Arsenal's men's side will wear the club’s gender-neutral jersey as a pre-match warm-up top ahead of their much-anticipated Premier League clash with Manchester City at the Emirates Stadium in the same month.
Arsenal striker Alessia Russo, who joined the club in the summer after a protracted contract saga with United, extolled her new club’s collab with McCartney ahead of the new season. “It’s so special to be marking this with a collection as playful and bold as this one,” the 24-year-old Lioness said.
“For me, football has always been about having fun and getting creative – it’s why I got into it as a young girl and it’s what inspires me today. I love that this collective represents that.
“It’s been an exciting summer for me, both with the move to Arsenal and reaching the final of the FIFA Women’s World Cup, and now we’re back. I am fully focused on my first season with the team.”
Arsenal, who finished third in the WSL last season behind United after a turbulent campaign plagued by injuries to marquee players, host Liverpool in their first game of the new season.
After crashing out of the first round of Champions League group stage qualification, Jonas Eidevall’s side will be keen to mark their return to the league with an emphatic and dominant performance over their Merseyside opponents before travelling to United.
The kit's release comes after Aston Villa's players were said to be 'dreading' wearing 'clingy and wet-look' shirts for their season opener. Villa's male players have reportedly voiced their concerns over the Castore kit retaining sweat, making them feel umcomofrtable.