Jordan Brand will produce Brazil’s away kit for this summer’s World Cup in North America, marking the first time the company will manufacture apparel worn by players in the competition.
The design of Brazil’s away kit is inspired by apex predators and the concept of “the threat of joy,” something Jordan Brand apparel design director Mackenzie Sam describes as “the idea that when the Brazil player is smiling on the pitch, that’s actually when he is the most dangerous and that’s when the apex predator really comes out.” The away kit taps into the elephant print that is commonly used by Jordan Brand while referencing three of Brazil’s deadliest animals – the dart frog, the jaguar and the anaconda.
“We pulled inspiration from elements like the dart frog, which really informed the colors of the away kit,” Sam said. “We pulled inspiration from the jaguar, which informed the pattern and the shaping that you see within the kit and we also pulled inspiration from the anaconda, which really informed the linear texture that you see within the material.”
Courtesy of Nike
The kits were also created with the company’s new Aero-FIT performance cooling technology, identifying players’ sweat zones and improving breathability in those areas. The technology will be introduced ahead of a World Cup where matches will likely be played in hot and humid conditions across North America.
Jordan Brand is also producing an accompanying lifestyle collection, including an anthem jacket that takes some inspiration from the jerseys Brazil won when they last won the World Cup in 2002. The collection also includes a pair of diamond shorts that call back to basketball great Michael Jordan himself, but rendered in colors familiar to Brazil.
This marks Jordan Brand’s first foray into World Cup kits but not their first into soccer. The company has a longstanding partnership with Paris Saint-Germain, frequently producing unique alternate jerseys for the UEFA Champions League winners.
The collection goes on sale on Thursday on Nike’s website and at select retailers. Brazil will debut the new away kits on March 26 in a friendly against France at Gillette Stadium in the Boston suburbs, a World Cup venue.
The five-time World Cup winners open Group C play on June 13 against Morocco at MetLife Stadium in the New York City area. Brazil then face Haiti on June 19 at Philadelphia’s Lincoln Financial Field before closing out the group stage on June 24 against Scotland at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens.
