PUMA 2012 african football kits

PUMA 2012 african football kits all images courtesy of PUMA

through sport and lifestyle company PUMA’s creative african network program, ten artists were commissioned to design the artwork for the 2012 football kits of ten partnering african national football teams: algeria, burkina faso, cameroon, gabon, ghana, ivory coast, namibia, senegal, south africa and togo.

the new football kits are currently on show as part of the ‘interpretations of africa: football art and design’ at the design museum london. on show until november 27th, 2011, the exhibition looks into the ten artists’ responses to their brief of developing a new kit for their selected country that celebrates africa’s unique visual identity and culture. on display, alongside the official football kits are the artists’ original artwork and concept sketches, providing a documentation of what went into the final design. it is a celebration of sport and how different african cultures and histories can be reflected in both art and sportswear design. here is look at the individual kits and the artists’ statements behind the influences of the final designs.

country: ivory coast artist: ernest düku footballer: yaya toure

‘my intention was to harness the values of both traditional clothes and the elephant. by using the force and power of the elephant and the dynamic visual effect of the textiles, which often consist of alternating bands of color, a positive alliance between the two symbols is created.’ – ernest duku

country: togo artist: el loko footballer: serge akakpo

‘PUMA’s african football kits project was a great initiative, and one which I was very happy to be involved in. PUMA’s intention to integrate artists from african countries within the project is a positive forward step that should be encouraged in the future. it promotes not only african football but also african cultures.’ – el loko

country: ghana artist: godfried donker footballer: asamoah gyan

‘the title of the football kit for the ghanaian national team is raining black stars. the original concept being that the team will ‘rain’ on their opponents whenever they play. I started working on the designs just before the FIFA world cup™ began last year in south africa. this was also before the ghana national team captured the imagination of the world with their performance during the finals. with the concept and title I wanted to create a series of drawings which when transferred onto the kit would also inspire their performance.’ – godfried donker

country: cameroon artist: barthélémy toguo footballer: samuel eto’o

‘I began by producing three different drawings. the first used the head of a lion on the front of the shirt. this imposing animal is emblematic of africa, simultaneously expressing forcefulness and serenity. it also suggests an ability to overcome any adversary which is relevant to the nature of a sporting challenge.’ – barthelemy toguo

country: algeria artist: zineb sedira footballer: rafik halliche

‘for this project I decided to use islamic geometrical patterns often found in religious buildings and in houses in algeria. the green is the color of algeria and islam so it made sense to use it for the patterns. the patterns often used on ceramic tiles (on floors or walls) are converted onto fabric by using digital technology. the dynamism and movement of the players together with the static traditional motifs brings life to the design.’ – zineb sedira

country: senegal artist: samba fall footballer: khader mangane

‘seeing the image of the baobab tree on the new senegalese football shirt is like seeing the good memories of all the people of senegal accompanying their football team to international competitions.’ – samba fall

country: gabon artist: owanto footballer: didier ovono

‘the image of the panther that I created for this project is a reflection of gabon’s vast biodiversity and is a uniting symbol for the national football team, the panthers. I love the camouflage of the panther and for a country such as gabon, where the majority of the land is covered by rainforest, this seems particularly apt and relevant. the gabonese identity is one of being ‘un peuple de la forêt’ (people of the forest).’ – owanto

country: namibia artist: hentie van der merwe footballer: bradley wermann

‘for the designs I did for the PUMA football kit I used the namibian national flag together with the name of the namibian soccer team – brave warriors – as points of departure. I had the idea of making designs that somehow alluded visually to something that one would gain during victory in a battle or a game, something like a medal or rosette.’ – hentie van der merwe

country: burkina faso artist: saïdou dicko footballer: jonathan pitropia

‘saidou dicko was inspired by the two stallions that feature in burkina faso’s coat of arms. the national football team is also nicknamed ‘the stallions’ and saido dicko felt that design would be representative of both burkina faso and its national football team, to people all around the world.’ – saidou dicko

country: south africa artists: hasan and husein essop footballer: steven pienaar

‘our design for the football kit was influenced by south africa’s diversity of cultures and how we have grown as a nation. we worked with the PUMA design team to help us create a symbol that would reflect south african spirit. after hosting the 2010 FIFA world cup™, south africans have united across the country to support their team. the kit represents the unity within our country and at the same time reflects our strong african identity.’ – hasan and husein essop

presentation of selected footballers sporting their new PUMA 2012 football kit