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A hometown hero connects with his boyhood club for a launch like no other, as the Royal-blues showcase all three kits for the new season as part of a Bundesliga-first, exclusive, original music video.
Christoph Wiegand, better known as Weekend, grew up in Gelsenkirchen and – like so many others in the North Rhine-Westphalia region – football was a dominant force in his upbringing. A lifelong fan of FC Schalke, Weekend proudly shouts out ‘one love, blue and white’ on the new track, set to a video which contrasts the rapper performing in each of the new jerseys, with breathtaking aerial shots of the Veltins Arena and raw footage of the city streets he grew up in.
Like the video itself, which features a host of Schalke players, both First Team and Academy level, alongside Weekend and a selection of local supporters, each of the three Umbro-designed kits for the 2021/22 season are in tribute to the connectivity between FC Schalke and the wider community of Gelsenkirchen.
The spirit of the city is distilled in both the music video and the kit designs, celebrating people of all ages, backgrounds and interests, brought together by the ‘one love’ of football.
The home jersey brings a contemporary feel to the club’s historic Royal blue and white uniform, while consciously keeping things clean and simple. After all, why mess with a classic?
The stylized flat-knit cuffs and neck are embellished with brilliant-white piping which, along with the white club crest, Umbro diamond and sponsor logo, contrast the otherwise all Royal-blue shirt design. The dropped hem allows for a versatile fit both on the pitch and off, and a custom back-neck sign off completes the jersey’s composition.
The away strip takes a more conceptual approach, and brings in elements of cartography for what is a brand-first design approach. Mapping out Schalke’s stadium – the Veltins Arena, and the surrounding areas, the shirt pays homage to the local spirit of S04 and ensures that the club’s supporters – whose memberships ensure that Schalke remain the fourth largest sporting club in the entire world – are represented at every away fixture.
Set against a bright white base, the latest printing technology allows us to represent the roads, rivers and geography of the area surrounding the Veltins Arena in great detail. Increasing layers of map patterning give a sense of shading on the right-chest of the shirt, where the royal-blue and white crest sits in what would be the centre of the Veltins’ pitch. As with the home shirt, the away jersey is completed with a dropped hem for both casual and performance wear, and is complemented with contrasting blue and white shorts and socks.
The third kit, which completes the set for the season ahead, is probably the most natural fit for when Weekend takes to the stage again in the months to come. The tonal design subtly implements two shades of light green for a textured, street-wear aesthetic, contrasted between the chest and sleeves. The green is an interpretation of the green represented in the city shield. The contemporary colour-palette provides the perfect base for the full colour blue and white crest to truly stand out, on both the jersey, and the slightly darker, two-tone shorts.
