Footballers get new Nike uniform

New uniforms for the Korean national football teams were released on Thursday, featuring designs inspired by K-pop and by a mythological animal.

Nike unveiled the new home and away kits for Korea, with Hallyu, or the Korean wave, at the forefront.

The home kit is highlighted by a wavy pattern made up of the trigrams from the Korean national flag, called Taegeukgi. The trigrams are also featured on the names and numbers on the back of the shirt. Pink on the upper body section transitions into red. The word “Korea” appears on the socks below the Nike swoosh.

The away kit features a white tiger print on the jersey and socks. Nike said all the stripes in the print were hand-painted by its design team.

“A sacred creature believed to be a guardian animal in Korean mythology, the white tiger symbolizes courage and power,” Nike explained. “Complemented by metallic gold swoosh and crest applications, the kit is intended to feel a bit luxurious.”

The company said it took a scientific approach to designing these new kits, analyzing data on more than 300 footballers and football-specific movements. The design team used 4-D visualization tools to determine how the kits will perform on players’ bodies in terms of stretching, draping and fit.

Nike said the new kits are “55 percent faster wicking, 13 percent more breathable and with 10 percent more stretch than Nike’s previous kits.”

According to Nike, Korea’s extended collection, which will also include overalls, sunglasses and women’s apparel, will be available at Nike shops and its online store starting in April.

Yonhap