Westminster Menswear Archive stages Umbro centenary exhibition

By

Nigel TAYLOR

Published
Apr 10, 2024

Those interested in the history behind sports’ movement into athleisure/fashion are in for a treat. A major new exhibition, ‘Umbro 100: Sportswear X Fashion’, explores 100 years of British sportswear and its influence on global fashion.

The Manchester-based sportswear brand is hosting the free event, which takes place until 28 April, as part of its centenary celebrations with th exhibition taking place at the Westminster Menswear Archive (WMA), part of University of Westminster, in London’s Marylebone.

It spotlights Umbro's influence “on the global sportswear revolution”. According to WMA, “help[ing] evolve sportswear from its functional, athletic, and sporting roots to becoming the daily uniform for billions of people around the world”.

It points to Umbro’s collaboration with Paul Smith in 2002 “as the start of the now ubiquitous trend for sportswear companies collaborating with fashion brands and designers”. 

Since then, Umbro has partnered with over 60 big-name designers and brands including Kim Jones, Paul Smith, Virgil Abloh, Peter Saville, Christopher Raeburn, Supreme, Nigel Cabourn, Aitor Throup, Palace and Vetements. 

So with over 120 archive Umbro styles sourced by the WMA, the new exhibition “explores how the relationship between sportswear and fashion has evolved over 100 years.

Presented in five sections, entitled Manchester, England, Tailored, Replica, and Diamond, they feature the Umbro pieces created by design partners.

Anthony Little, Global Managing Director of Umbro said: “[This exhibition] is the perfect way to chronicle the brand’s design achievements whilst underlining the pivotal part Umbro has played in bringing sportswear into the global fashion trend narrative.”

Professor Andrew Groves, Co-Curator of the exhibition added: “Though collaborations between sportswear companies and fashion designers are now commonplace, Umbro was at the forefront of this. While other sportswear companies had previously produced footwear for designers, the Paul Smith collaboration was the first to result in a full collection between a designer and a sportswear company being produced. As such it is a landmark moment and led to later collaborations with some of the world’s most important fashion brands.”