Friday, April 12, 2013

Great Tracksuits of Our Time: No.13

Norway (1986):


One glaring omission from our Great Tracksuits series thus far is Hummel, the Danish sportswear manufacturer (and not the German World War II tank of the same name).

Being Danish, it's hardly surprising that their name first came to light when it appeared on the eye-catching kit designs worn by Denmark in the 1980's. Those distinctive chevrons running down the sleeves and, during the mid-80's, the half-and-half pinstriped shirts became synonymous with the Danes, but they weren't only popular in the land of The Little Mermaid.

In 1986, the Norwegian national team bought into the Hummel legend with this rather striking tracksuit in bright red and Persil white. As you can see from former Tottenham goalkeeper Erik Thorstvedt and his pals, the familiar chevrons are there on the white upper section while the rest of the tracksuit is predominantly red. Apart from a zip, a squad number and the Hummel logo, there's not much more to say, but the overall effect is smart and bright - even if there is a hint of the Formula 1 pit crew about the ensemble.

All in all, Hummel were and remain a great manufacturer of footballwear and if we've got anything to do with it, they'll be appearing on The Football Attic a lot more often in future. Meantime, if Great Tracksuits are your thing, why not check out all the others in our series?