Another example of John Devlin’s True Colours in-depth looks at particular kits is this Umbro Everton Away design from 1992.

Worn as the Toffees made their Premier League bow in the inaugural season - 1992-93 - and as club legend, the late Howard Kendall brought his second spell in charge to a close in the following campaign, this striking outfit was not accompanied by great success. However, the kit celebrated the Merseyside club’s past through the retro colour scheme of salmon (pink) and navy - in fetching stripes on the retro buttoned collar shirt.

Argentina, for a side with such a seemingly unmistakable and iconic look, have surprising variation in their sartorial past - as evidenced by this kit history produced by sportswear product and graphic designer Emre Gultekin.

The early days of the national team saw white shirts and shorts almost immediately replaced by the flag-inspired white and sky blue-striped shirt and black shorts. Stylish white and sky-topped black socks appeared from early doors, with button-up and lace-up collars being replaced in due course by a perhaps more familiar v-neck.

These Internazionale - Inter Milan - concept designs are the work of sportswear and graphic designer Emre Gultekin. Following on from a previous Inter range we featured, the kits and apparel here are influenced by the city of Milan/Milano, and the history of the club.

More specifically, the “Nike Proposal Project”, which is dated as being from June 2016, features a Nerazzurri Home kit which nods to the world famous “Duomo di Milano” cathedral via the classic black and blue shirt’s stripes. The stained glass of the cathedral is referenced with a sublimated watermark pattern which also brings to mind the “wireframe” look on the new Canada Home shirt.

Many football kits are rendered iconic by way of their Umbro, adidas or, more recently, Nike stylings. The Middlesbrough FC design worn in the 1988-89 and 1989-90 seasons is not one such example.

The “Skill” design - that’s what the “i” stood for, obviously (!) - featured chest striping probably influenced by a similar approach by The Brand With The 3 Stripes, but it remained distinctive in its time, sitting atop the Heritage Hampers sponsorship logo.

When Nike secured the Fédération Française de Football (FFF) contract, it meant the end of the adidas era - and what an era. All eyes were on the American manufacturer to see what they’d come up with for France.

The Home kit was a deep blue with a neat navy collar, but it was the Away that really grabbed our attention. Taking a huge risk in appropriating the cultural stereotype of the horizontally-striped marinèire-style top, Nike’s gamble paid off and an iconic shirt for the ages was born.

Club Atlético Boca Juniors of Buenos Aires is one of the planet’s most famous sides. The Argentine giants’ colours, even with instances of variation, are as iconic as they come.

Sportswear product and graphic designer Emre Gultekin more than does the history justice, even including the pre-1907 years, when Boca wore black and white stripes, sky blue, and then thin blue stripes.

One of the most storied North American football biographies is that which we file under the name “New York Cosmos”. And it has an iconic kit history to match.

The current team bearing the Cosmos name, with authentic lineage, is based in Uniondale on Long Island. This incarnation was formed in 2010 and plays in the club’s iconic white - with a fitting green Third kit - in the National Independent Soccer Association, but 2020 marks the 50th anniversary of the original side’s formation.

The 1987-89 Hummel Tottenham Hotspur Home kit is one of the most infamous in the history of English football. Ironically, its infamy doesn’t come by way of either of its seasons in official use. 

Debuted in Spurs’ 1987 FA Cup Final defeat to Coventry City, some players wore the shirt with a sponsor - the alcohol brand, Holsten - and on others it was nowhere to be seen.

The 1992-93 season is one which is held in high regard by Aston Villa fans. Though they ended the domestic campaign trophyless, the West Midlands side gave eventual inaugural Premier League champions Manchester United a decent run for their money - beating them at Villa Park (along with a League Cup victory) and avoiding defeat at Old Trafford - and they looked very stylish doing it.

We recently featured a Liverpool FC kit history provided by Turkish graphic designer and sportswear designer Emre Gultekin, and below you’ll find him moving his sights onto his country's national team.

Turkey, for most of their existence, have had one of the most recognisable examples of “colours” in international football. Much like Brazil and Argentina, amongst others, the historical combination has been simple but specific to the team. It has, however, gone through periods of variation.