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



the ten participating artists and their designs



the ten collaborating artists who are part of PUMA.creative's creative network program

exhibition design by R/G studio and stefi orazi.


exhibition view