How Kappa Kombat changed the aesthetics of football A model that still influences fashion and sport today

In the early 2000’s, Kappa revolutionized the world of football by creating a product that challenged every aesthetic standard. We’re talking about the Kombat, the stretch jersey made famous by Italy during EURO 2000 and the one that introduced the stretch fabric onto football fields. The concept behind that jersey was simple: to exploit the flexibility of the material to let the player continuing his movement while held by an opponent and at the same time highlight that same held so that a referee could sanction it. The revolutionary design, originally, was not received with enthusiasm by Italy’s players. Emanuele Ostini, the man who conceived and designed Kombat for Kappa, in many interviews has revealed that during the first day of dress fitting at Coverciano, Italy’s headquarter for the National team, no one among Totti, Del Piero and Cannavaro dared to give the new jersey a try as they were scared by how much tight it was. Eventually, Cannavaro wore it and Ostini, as soon as he saw the defender’s physique exalted by the Kombat, told him: “You look like Superman!”. Yes, because another effect created by Kombat has been that it completely transformed the players’ perception, turning mere footballers in real athletes with incredible bodies.

Kombat’s revolution may not be over yet. Just like in the early 2000’s Kappa’s stretch jerseys have subverted esthetic on football fields, it cannot be ruled out the possibility that this model could create a new trend in 2023 too. Football jerseys have been the inspiration for block core, a fashion trend born on TikTok characterized by supposedly casual looks in which washed-out jeans are paired with old large football jerseys, a trend that got in Hector Bellerin its most famous testimonial. Kappa has been mainly involved in this trend because Bellerin last season was immortalized with a retro jersey from Betis, team sponsored by the Turin’s firm, and because old Manchester City and Barcelona’s jerseys realized by Kappa in the 90’s have been the most popular among people who participated in block core. The evolution of this trend could turn into a trend reversal represented at its best by Kombat, a step into the direction of more fitted jerseys taking advantage of the success of Y2K, the 2000’s revival for the Gen Z. And in football nothing represents the 2000’s at their peak as Kappa’s stretch jerseys.