Where did the design of the new Inter shirt come from? The Memphis collective, Ettore Sottsass and the history of the Nerazzurri zigzag stripes

The new Nike home shirt of Inter 2020/2021 has been a cause for debate since the first leaks dated June 2019 in which it was already understood that traditionality would be lacking, which for the Inter fans is represented by the stripes - straight - black and blue.

As we have seen by analyzing the trends of the next season's shirts, the direction taken by the brands is to give architectural and geometric references for the creation of the new kits. The various templates used between 2013 and 2018 will not be repeated soon, replaced by a reference mix that will be used regardless of the graphic and chromatic identity of the teams, instead giving greater importance to themes that can facilitate entry into new markets and to open new communication channels, such as art and design.

Criticizable or not, the questionable choice is not directly attributable to the marketing department of the Milanese team, but it is a decision made by the Nike designers who, given the success of the Nigeria shirt - and related collection - 2018 version, have decided to replicate the format through an approach borrowed from the fashion world.

It is for this reason - according to Alberto Mariani aka Rupertgraphic - that leaks would have become a conscious means used by brands to give the user time to internalize a change that would otherwise be difficult to accept overnight. As well as the design of the new Inter shirt: as complicated to accept as it will probably be easy to get used to; a fate similar to that of the Memphis collective, dissolved in 1987 because its members had difficulty sustaining success after the hype had vanished.