COOLEST EUROPEAN FOOTBALL KITS 2017/18

When stripes are your club’s usual style, the rule of thumb is to not tinker too much with tradition. But Atletico Madrid, the risk-taking club they are, did make a subtle switch-up to the side’s go-to design for the 17/18 season and, in doing so, are reaping the rewards. It’s simple really: a series of lines streaking across the stripes like a dessert chef adding the finishing touches to his marble royal icing.

The sleeves, by contrast, are left bold and block red, placing all the attention on the mismatch of stripes. It’s a trend we’ve seen across the catwalks in recent seasons, perhaps most evidently in Missoni’s SS18 showcase, which saw a host of layered lines combine for a visual feast.

Any new Juventus kit will have a tough time following the Italian giants’ usual getups: classic, Notts County-inspired black-and-white stripes, or hypebeast’s favourite pink away tops. But their 17/18 third jersey – military themed and sporting the club’s slick new ‘J’ emblem – gives it a college try.

Playing on soldiers is hardly a new move in fashion, but AW17 saw something of a surplus switch-up. Out went YEEZY-issue oversized utilitarianism and in came more precise, catwalk-ready versions of military menswear. Fendi’s structured, logo-laden take on the drab palette makes for a fine 'fit with Juve’s street-luxe-meets-army vibe.

If your club’s nickname is based on specific colour schemes, there’s little creative leeway. But, for 17/18, the Red Shorts – or Hamburg, as you’ll more likely know them as – have decided to pump all their stored-up eccentricity into a distinctive, geometric away jersey. Here, it’s a case of adidas’ usual trademark features setting a solid base: three-striped sides, perfectly positioned logos and a simple silhouette. 

But it's the 80s-style diamond print that adorns the blue top (a reference to the club’s double-diamond logo) that takes it to a new level. We’ve seen this kind of detailing utilised in both winter and summer editions of men’s fashion weeks of late, but especially in Nautica’s New York showcase, where geometric patterns were stitched into woolly jumpers for a memorable contemporary take on traditional Nordic knitwear.

We sang the praises of Porto’s star-gazing away kit last season, and this year’s baby-blue and baggy number is equally noteworthy – a super simple design with a big all-over splash of on-trend colour, accented with chunky dark-blue trim.

The Portuguese club’s strip could easily have slotted into Christopher Shannon’s SS17 catwalk collection – heavy, as it was, on 90s-streetwear silhouettes and a stonewashed, boy band blue palette. 

Sure, there’s a lot going on here, but you’ve got to respect Torino for reviving retro design. It’s got the burgundy palette and the Kappa-logo taping of something your dad probably wore to a kick-around back in the day – but in a slicker, slimline version that hugs the Toro players, while the collection of logos (in varying sizes) neatly contrast the deep hue. 

What’s better, is it’s actually seriously on trend, too. Not only is 90s sportswear still having a moment this year, Gosha Rubchinskiy’s reimagining of the era’s key brands saw a Kappa piece with similar detailing make its way down the catwalk in Russia just last year.