CASE STUDY 008: The Nike Total 90 Kit Template
No noise, just clean lines and pretty colors - how Nike made a cult classic kit era with their simplest approach to date.
In 2004 Nike released the Total 90 Kit template. Like today, the template was used by all major Nike teams at the time. Brazil, Barcelona, Arsenal, USA, Manchester United, The Netherlands, Valencia, Australia, and more all had the template. Pretty boring. Where’s the individuality in that? Where is the freedom of visual expression in a unanimous template? These questions are completely valid, and this isn’t the first time we have brought plug and play design, so you know it’s important to us at Studio 14. The funny thing is, these kits are absolutely iconic. Over two decades later, they remain top of the wishlist in most vintage markets.
So on their 21st birthday, now that they have achieved legal drinking age, we want to distill exactly why the Total 90 Era kits have maintained such cultural and fashion influence.
The best place to begin on that journey is at the textile level. Composed of 100% polyester manufactured in Portugal, these kits have a stiffer textile composition than modern day jerseys. Thin and durable fibers, intertwined with a remarkably tight weave created a near semi-wind resistant cloth. Ventilated by strategic mesh panels on the sides, arms, and back, the kit remains breathable (it is a performance garment after all). This tight weave and stiff construction, cut with a relatively boxy silhouette, created an appearance that was simultaneously flattering to both the moving and stationary body.
The beautiful silhouette created by the material and cut was expounded upon by the thin embroidered lines that undercut the shoulder, traced the outside of the chest, and contoured the sides of the abdomen. While simple, the 2 lines created a level of contour that emphasized the structure and presence of the kit. It made shoulders look broader, players look more upright, bodies appear more confident. This contouring technique wasn’t new at the time, but its usage across sporting domains has certainly accelerated since 2004. Transcending the sport of soccer, the technique can be seen executed to visual perfection across the likes of Bandit’s soccer running shirts, KITH’s 2025 activewear line, and smaller contemporary fashion labels like NoFeelings.
Finally, with textile and contouring importance outlined, we arrive at color. And this is the simplest one. For the Total 90 Template, Nike leveraged matte and primary shades of each teams’ colors. The Netherlands received a TRUE Orange, Arsenal received a TRUE Red, Brazil received a TRUE Yellow and Green. Untinted, unshaded, and without shine, Nike’s 2004 colorist put together a masterclass in simplicity that has stood up to the test of time. The matte finishing and primary nature of the coloring made these kits perfect pieces to pair with more neutral colored bottoms. Sweats, jeans, trousers, skirts, you name it. With these kits your outfit can explore a range of silhouetting and color accenting that is not only appealing to the eye, but to the heart as well.
