Where do you think jerseys will go this year?
Obviously, jerseys were everywhere but summer has long been over meaning their releases are slowing down. But the slowing down doesn't mean a decline, as they can pick up again around summer, and be as hot as they were last year.
Football jerseys search queries via Google Trends.
This is not an indicator that it's dying as you have to consider seasonality, you can even see a slight pickup early this year. It picked up fast in August before peaking in September
On the other hand, fashion moves fast and trends can die quickly. Most micro trends last about a year with a peak of about two to four months. Micro trends are typically associated with macro trends which in this case would be the evergrowing integration between football and fashion. Macro trends have a much longer shelf life of about five to ten years. But will this directly correlate with the popularity of jerseys? It's hard to tell at this point. One thing is for sure though, Sportlife culture will still be rocking this hard as that's a staple.
I think one thing that's for sure is the evolution of the trend. It seemed that brands looked into other sports to explore the trend resulting in a string of hockey jerseys released as well as rugby polos. Hockey is a lot more popular than football in North America which is an element that can be attributed to this crossover. It’s not exclusive to North America as several brands across Europe have been diving into hockey jerseys too. I think a huge gap North Americans will fill is American football shirts. Yes, brands here and then have been doing them, but it's never touched full scale like football jerseys have. Americans, this is your sign!
Hockey Jerseys
Rugby Polos
American Football Jersey
Another evolutionary standpoint to consider is knitted jerseys. House of Errors ended the year with a bang (two years in a row now) when they showcased their knitted jerseys. And the guys over at FortyTwo have been doing their thing with knitted jerseys which all look heavenly by the way. A thing that I discovered is how the knitted look almost gives it a vintage/retro look and retro jerseys are the last evolutionary standpoint I wanted to mention. Our generation loves nostalgia. There are so many gems for kits from back in the day, so I can also see brands doing retro style kits too.
Knitted + Retro Jerseys
Whatever happens, I hope this post sparks new ideas in you. Let me know your thoughts below.