Napoli's Slick Kits Evoke Glory Days Of Kappa

Napoli's Slick Kits Evoke Glory Days Of Kappa
11:23, 16 Aug 2018

Napoli have rarely had a bad kit to be fair.

Memories of Diego Maradona in that sky blue shirt sponsored by Mars will live long in the memories of football fans of a certain vintage. He is still regarded as a God in Naples where images of him are everywhere - from posters in garages to huge murals painted on the side of buildings.

This season's kits from Napoli by Kappa are a set of absolute belters. All have the same basic sublimated print of triangles at various angles as well as the cleverly integrated panther eyes. Naturally, there's a lot of love for the home shirt in the familiar Naples blue but the away designs in grey and black look absolutely stunning.

Italian kit manufacturers Kappa are enjoying something of a renaissance. Their legendary kits of the 80s for the likes of Juventus and Roma are regularly mentioned in the lists of greatest ever football shirts as are the polished Barcelona designs from the 1990s.

Kappa gear of any description was highly prized in the 1980s. They manufactured the American gear for the seminal 1984 Los Angeles Olympics where the likes of Carl Lewis became global superstars. In Britain, their padded red/blue jackets were a common sight in the schoolyards of Britain, usually accompanied by a Head racket bag. 

Some of Manchester City's best kits were also made by Kappa in the mid-1990s, in stark contrast to the fortunes of the team at that time. The fluo yellow and black strip - immortalised by Paul Dickov sliding on his knees when City beat Gillingham in the second division play-off final - is one which has a special place in the hearts of Blues fans. Even this season's stunning Nike City away kit has a nod to that classic.

The brand's image took something of a bashing when the chavvy character of Vicky Pollard from the TV comedy Little Britain wore a bright pink Kappa tracksuit. They dropped off the radar for a while but in recent years they've made some giant strides back into the market working alongside Leeds United whose playing gear looks very slick this season.    

You will find Kappa t-shirts and tracksuits in the likes of JD Sports and Urban Outfitters today as the brand enjoys the ripple effect from the current craze for 1990s leisurewear which has seen brands like Ellesse and Champion return to prominence alongside the superpowers of Nike and adidas.

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