Some of the best-looking kits in football aren’t necessarily being worn anywhere near the top flight.
CS Sedan Ardennes currently find themselves in France’s Régional 1, but you wouldn’t necessarily know it from looking at their latest Kappa collection.
Perhaps that’s becoming one of the more interesting developments in kit culture.
The days when the biggest clubs automatically received the most considered designs are long gone. Strong branding, good photography and a supplier that understands a club’s identity can make a sixth-tier release every bit as interesting as something arriving from the Champions League.
Sedan are a pretty good example.
Kappa haven’t tried to manufacture a complicated story for the home shirt. Instead, that rich, deep green does most of the work, accompanied by the club’s familiar red and white. Subtle pinstripes give the body a little more depth, while the sleeves bring considerably more personality.
Piping, repeating Omini logos and that substantial collar give it an unmistakable throwback influence without turning the whole thing into a retro remake.
The away takes those same ingredients and rearranges them.
A white base allows the split green and red detailing to become much more prominent, while the repeating Omini continue down the sleeves before meeting those brilliantly chunky cuffs. Even the alternate crest gives the shirt its own identity rather than simply producing a white version of the home.
Neither design is particularly complicated.
That’s arguably the point.
There’s a tendency to assume every new football shirt needs a story, landmark, pattern or hidden reference to justify its existence. Sedan and Kappa instead demonstrate what can happen when the club’s colours and existing identity are considered interesting enough in their own right.
Perhaps the more interesting question is why we still associate great kit design so heavily with football’s biggest clubs.
If a Régional 1 side can look this considered, does the level even matter anymore?
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