ALWAYS On
Harold Humphreys cut his teeth — and plenty of fabric — in Cottonopolis, the centre of the UK’s cotton industry and textile trade. It’s no wonder then that apparel quickly became the heartbeat of Umbro.
But true specialists don’t just focus on one thing. They look at everything, holistically. And as football became ever more popular, Umbro saw the opportunity to create the whole kit. Boots and all.
This all kicked off in the 80s. Just like we had with apparel, our key focus was to create the best possible experience for players. Developing the boots they told us they needed, their unrivalled insight was the driving force behind each design and each innovation moving forward. And they didn’t half look smart in them.
And by ‘92, we first gave the world something truly iconic: the Speciali.
A boot that revolutionised industry standards, at the time it was the lightest, most comfortable footwear to ever grace the pitch. But we were never going to stop there. With the ambition to create the perfect pair for every style of play, we sprinted on, pushing boundaries of design to put the greatest experience possible at the feet of the player. Boots worthy of winning games, of lifting trophies. Boots worthy of golden boots.
The Speciali
The Speciali was built for the players that had it all. The skill, the speed, the power. They needed a boot that could keep up with them, and nothing could outpace the Speciali. Italian made, it fit like a glove and was the lightest boot on the market at the time. 30 years on, it’s still around — now it just brings 5,000 top-flight appearances, 800 goals and 6 European Golden Boots with it.
Medusae 3 Elite (2018)
The Speciali ran so the Medusae 3 Elite could sprint. The first ever laceless leather boot on the market, it was designed for players obsessed with being on the front foot. Replacing tradition with an innovative one-piece, K-leather upper it provided supreme comfort in a package weighing just 180 grams. With them on, everything else slowed down.
UX Accuro 3 (2019)
As coaches sought to gain greater control on the pitch, we looked to create more off it, launching the UX Accuro 3. The first boot to harness D3O technology — a market-defining impact protector used by soldiers, motorcyclists and industrial workers — it could kill a ball dead. Making the first touch of dreams a reality.
Velocita Alchemist (2022)
Taking a revolutionary step with our speed silo, in 2022 we introduced the Velocita Alchemist. Magic through and through, it’s made up of a single skin of patented, world-first woven technology in Football, ProWeave. Every ounce of functionality is embedded into this one intelligent layer, with targeted zones for unrivalled elasticity, stability and abrasion.
Stay tuned for more “Always Umbro” stories dropping very soon on www.umbro.com. You can also keep up to date with this campaign and more on @umbro social media or by searching #AlwaysUmbroSince1924.
