Behind Chelsea FC’s New ‘90s Inspired Away Kit
Today, Chelsea FC launched its highly anticipated ‘90s inspired 23/24 Nike away kit, with a CGI and nostalgia-infused film created by advertising agency and creative production company, The Berry.
Inspired by Chelsea’s heritage, the ‘90s kits and the glamour of the King’s Road, the blue and soar shades of the new kits bring a cutting edge aesthetic, so the launch film shouldn’t have fallen far behind. At the forefront of the kit is Nike Dri-FIT ADV, the advanced technology bringing fit and fabric innovation together to keep the modern football player drier and cooler for longer.
The Berry Boys (The Berry’s in-house directors), Ryan Burnham and Luke Robson, are the culprit behind the launch materials for Chelsea FC and along with the team at The Berry, they created the stand-out animated film to match the kit’s aesthetic, texture and style, starring Enzo Fernandez, Reece James, Sam Kerr and Moises Caicédo. Ryan and Luke were aiming to put Chelsea’s culture front and centre, while flexing their CGI muscles and saluting retro gaming and ‘90s design.
In the film’s 45 seconds, The Berry Boys were aiming to charge every CG scene with Chelsea-related Easter eggs, inviting fans and viewers to rewatch and explore their visual details. In order to match the aesthetic while also nodding to the club’s heritage, The Berry team explains that Chelsea provided them with a huge archive of reference content, with the ‘90s kits being the head start for the moodboarding process.
“For the live action scenes, the players were shot against a green screen, allowing them to be seamlessly integrated into the animated world of the film,” states the initial press release. “Each player had a different action in the film, driving the visuals and story - Enzo Fernandez’s cheeky wink is a throwback to the era’s cheesiness; Reece James’ planting of the flag is a fitting captain’s move and nod to fan chant ‘Keep the Blue Flag Flying High’; and Caceido’s surprise appearance at the end breaks the fourth wall.”
Jack Peters, head of global fan engagement at Chelsea FC added: “Kit launches have become such a great creative opportunity for clubs to engage fans in a moment they’re truly passionate about. From a brand perspective, seasonal design stories will often tap into our history and heritage, which allows us to leverage them as a storytelling moment.”
However, mixing history and innovation as well as layering football nostalgia on top of the Chelsea away kit texture aesthetic remained one of the big challenges of the project. A fun challenge, as Luke puts it, but a challenge nevertheless. “We experimented with many different styles,” he explains. “We knew the kit pattern should be the hero element that shines through - so creating an early days computer generated style wireframe world was the obvious answer.”
As for introducing the ‘90s inspiration, Luke says that the team approached it by including elements that anybody who lived through that decade would recognise - boomboxes, old game consoles, abstract shapes to fill in the gaps, etc. “However, what truly captured the essence was the VHS filter we applied over everything,” he adds. “This was the glue that melded everything together and really made it feel truly authentic. Combining these themes yielded an exceptionally distinctive final product and style.”
Looking further back in time, The Berry have been working with Chelsea FC for over five years now. Ryan, one half of The Berry Boys and a lifelong Chelsea fan, admits to pushing for the company to get involved in Chelsea for a while, “because it’s the best club in the world.” By chance, The Berry ended up working with the club across the e-Premier League esports series, creating a range of content across their social channels. “From then on, The Berry worked across multiple social campaigns and pitches, eventually being given this incredible opportunity to launch a kit. And we’re here now!”
Ryan and Luke both know that Chelsea always want the best. “Whether that’s on the pitch, or off,” they add. “The Berry are specialists in their field for creating effective and original CGI and VFX films that combine live action elements.” So, it was a match made in heaven. But this isn’t the only reason why it was so important for the project to be perfect - there is a personal angle too.
“This one means a lot to me,” explains Ryan. “My dad, grandad, great-grandad, and four generations of my nan’s family all grew up and lived in Chelsea. All of them, since the club was founded in 1905, have supported Chelsea FC, through the sun and rain. Chelsea and CFC have always been at the heart of the Burnham family. So, when we got the call from Chelsea FC to launch the away kit, you can imagine how that felt.”
He continues: “They are serious about creativity and making an impact on and off the pitch. Their attention to detail and willingness to push visuals through new filmmaking tech, CGI and VFX, it’s so nice to see. We created an unforgettable CGI film that I’ve personally never seen a football club attempt before.”
But, making a kit launch film for what is the best club in the world in your eyes can put some pressure, even on experienced and confident filmmakers. Luke, however, explains that this pressure only ended up turning into the energy that fueled their dedication to the project. “As Chelsea supporters, there couldn’t have been better people to create this video, as we inherently put our all into it,” he says. “Our biggest hope for the project is that not only the fans get some real enjoyment out of it, but that it proves how unique and special Chelsea is as a fan club - one that isn’t afraid to push boundaries. Not just in the football scene, but with their content too.”
He leaves us with this: “Ultimately, we hope to inspire other clubs to embrace innovative content strategies, with this film serving as a great example of what can be achieved by daring to step beyond the conventional.”
