The streets surrounding Audi Field in south west Washington were awash with Arsenal jerseys on Wednesday night. It was a mosaic comprised of mostly red and white home shirts, with yellow and blue a close second, but there were also dozens of fans sporting the club’s new shock-yellow away kit.
A surefire cult classic or, as one slightly inebriated fan described it, a glow-in-the-dark tiger? (presumably not intended as a positive).
Two things are guaranteed at least: traffic can’t fail to notice you, and it will certainly get people talking.
The kit was launched on Monday and has split opinion on social media. Arsenal produced a promotional video for the launch, with a fictional radio station 188.6 Islington FM broadcasting musicians from North London to their fans across the world.
The shock-yellow base has wavy black lines running through it, representing the routes fans take through Islington to the Emirates on a matchday.
For the second year running the club chose to launch the kit during their US tour and tonight the new jersey will be on display against Manchester United at the sold-out MetLife stadium in New York.
With the US a key market in the club’s merchandising strategy, The Athletic wanted to have a bit of fun and ask American fans what they really make of it — and what they think the luminous design resembles.
Brothers Bob and Chris Hoke from New York are the first people spotted wearing the kit at half-time of Arsenal’s 5-0 win over MLS All-Stars. Presumably they must be big fans to have purchased it so quickly?
“When it dropped I wasn’t super sold on it but it grew on me,” says Bob.
It is pointed out to him that it was released less than 48 hours before the game.
“Okay, it grew on me quickly!
“I’m not going to lie, I was hating that I had outgrown my other shirt but I have a lot of the different kits. I liked the midnight storm black and purple one , the 2007-08 white and gold, the burgundy one and the 2005-06 blue one, oh and the yellow and blue from 2013-14 — I’ve just listed all of them haven’t I?”.
Bob and Chris Hoke, two Arsenal fans from New York
His brother Chris is more of a true believer in the Islington roots theme.
“It pops. The commercial that they did with Islington FM was sick. It made a lot more sense after that,” he says. “I’m still not sold on the light blue portion but I like the idea of the lines.”
Their friends Anton Matveev and Gloria Lobato from New Jersey are less sold on it.
“It’s a good pick-up shirt (casual sports with friends) for different sports as there is no way the other team is going to wear the same thing,” says Anton. “Anything that Bukayo Saka wears looks unbelievable in my opinion, though.”
Gloria confirms they have booked a trip to London in September and are trying to attend the derby against Spurs but she is unlikely to be attending in the new kit.
“I wouldn’t spend that much money on it but if someone buys it for me…”
There are some fans more scathing when it comes to the design, to say the least.
“It looks like a giraffe that is sick,” says Tim O’Keefe, a casual Arsenal from Philadelphia.
He travelled through with his friend Tom Brooks, who had previously seen Arsenal play twice in the States.
“I like a lot of the yellow away kits and I think this will become a cult classic… once we win the league” he says. “It’s so bad it’s good, but I still think it should have been the third kit.”
O’Keefe, like the hotel receptionist, sees similarities in the eye-catching designs of some NBA clubs. The latter points to the culture in the US of one-off kits released around seasonal holidays or niche themes as being a reason the kit is perhaps not viewed as controversially as compared to in the UK.
Tim O’Keefe and Tom Brooks, two Arsenal fans from Philadelphia
“I see all the crazy jerseys designs here so I get why they think it will do well. The Miami Heat did the Miami Vice jersey and the Seattle Sounders have some bright jerseys but that is their brand. Arsenal’s don’t need the popularity so it feels like they’ve tried too hard with this,” says Tim.
Al Tabe, born in London but who lives in Maryland, is walking home from the game with his girlfriend Jackie Ezeani.
Like many others he is wearing last season’s away kit, a black design with gold trimmings.
“It’s embarrassing. I don’t like the colours as I don’t think they represent Arsenal. We should stick to banana yellow,” Al says.
“I think it looks like someone has driven their car on top of it and those are the tyre marks.”
“It’s such a weird concept. I wouldn’t buy it, and I buy all of the shirts. If we win the league at Tottenham wearing that kit, though, I’ll learn to love it…”
Jackie Ezeani and Al Tabe
One of the main themes in the kit design is based around the idea of being able to feel Arsenal’s DNA and culture, regardless of the distance from its fans.
Chakapong Soundara is a Washington-based fan with Thai parents who started supporting the club after witnessing Thierry Henry at the 2002 World Cup in Korea and Japan. He is a big advocate of the design.
Chakapong Soundara (left) with his friends from Thailand
“It’s eye-catching but you either love it or hate it. I saw someone on Twitter say it looked like a yellow worm,” he says.
“For me, it wasn’t love at first sight. It’s like a relationship: you have to grow into it and understand why it came about.
“It made sense after the video. Wherever you go Arsenal is not far from home. Even if you haven’t been to London or the Emirates it feels like you have a connection to the club.
“I have every kit since Adidas became kit supplier. They have always made nice kits. This one is a little off the beaten track but I like that they took a risk.”
His friend says he prefers the old school kits and likens the colour to a security guard, while another fan describes it as looking like a zebra that has just ran into an electrical line.
Chris Rubio, from Austin, Texas, is wearing the 2002-2003 third kit but he is not as enamoured by the latest attempt at achieving a unique design.
“It would be great if the yellow wasn’t so pronounced. It’s like a highlighter yellow but if needs to be a little bit more subdued,” he says.
So, logic dictates that he he won’t be buying it then?
“Oh no, I will be buying it. Let me be clear. I think it’s shit but I’ll still get the home, away and third kit. There is no design they could put on that I wouldn’t buy.
‘I missed out on a couple of third kits but I’ve had every other one since 2010.”
Chris Rubio, an Arsenal fan from Austin, Texas, who is aiming to get to his first game at the Emirates sometime soon
Virginia-based Arsenal fan Shane Cason was surprised by the design but once he seen it in the flesh it has started to change his opinion on it.
His 11-year-old son James is a fan and will be looking to get the shirt when possible and that is a recurring theme with the youngsters at the game in Washington earlier in the week.
Shane Cason with his son James who is a huge Arsenal fan.
“I don’t like it but I already bought it for 90 bucks. It’s something different and fun. We’re trying to attract young fans and I’ve got a lot of nieces and nephews who like it for the bright colours,” says Gary Paris, a fan from Atlanta.
“They brought in that Jamaica training kit and that sold like crazy here so they must figure that they should keep on doing some wild designs.”
There you have it. From animal-themed insults to those who have been won over in the space of 48 hours, Arsenal have certainly produced a conversation-starter of a kit.
(Photo: Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)