SELF MADE BRANDS: WHEN FOOTBALL CLUBS MAKE THEIR OWN KITS

We've all heard the gossip, Barcelona are reportedly opting out of their Nike contract extension, rumours are circulating that the Catalan club may bring the production of their famous Blaugrana jerseys in-house.

So we've compiled a list of our favourites, from the brilliant to the blinding, our list includes the best and the worst of in-house kit designing. Starting with a belter from runaway leaders in the Championship; Leicester City. Let us know if we've missed any howlers in the comments!

1994/96 Leicester City - Fox Leisure

We've gone in early with a proper classic kit, Leicester produced their own shirts from 1992 to 2000 branded as Fox Leisure, this piece from 1994/96 is a personal favourite of ours.

1996/98 Ipswich Town - PUNCH

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Ipswich Town blessed us with this beautiful away strip for two seasons from 1996. Made in-house and branded as Punch, perfectly accentuated by the Greene King Abbot Ale sponsor.

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1999/00 Southampton - Saints

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The saints brought their kit designs in-house after they fell out with previous shirt manufacturers Pony at the end of the 1998 season. They made their own strip from 1999 to 2008 and again for the 2014/15 season after failing to agree terms with the German sportswear giants, Adidas.

2013/14 - AS Roma

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Roma spent a brief one season stint creating their own shirts. Though we have no gripes with how they look, we do have an issue with how they hold up, it is incredibly rare to find one of these in good nick! If you have one, look after it and avoid washing it at all costs.

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2001/02 - Racing Santander

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One of the few examples of when bringing kit designing into the clubs control backfires. This 2001/02 effort from Racing Santander looks much more like a rugby shirt than a football shirt.

1998/99 Perugia - Galex

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Galex was a brand created by the eldest son of then Perugia owner, Luciano Gaucci. Alessandro, would build his brand in the spotlight of the Serie A, worn by the likes of Hidetoshi Nakata, they would go on to produce shirts for other Italian clubs; Ascoli and Catania, up until the Gaucci Group went bankrupt in 2006.

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2001/02 Athletic Bilbao - Athletic Club

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Athletic Club spent 8 seasons producing their own shirts with their own club name. The above image from the 2001/02 season is our pick of the bunch.

2000/01 Fenerbahçe

Fenerbahce's inhouse brand name was Fenerium and they wore these shirts for four seasons, from the start 2000/01 to the 2003/04 Turkish Super Lig.

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1994/95 Wimbledon - The Crazy Gang

The Crazy Gang wasn't just an attitude or style of play, it was also a fashion statement with Wimbledon donning their infamous nickname on their shirts in the Premier League for the 1994/95 season.

1992/94 Cardiff City - Bluebirds

Cardiff City shirts were made in house and branded as Bluebirds for two seasons, which is a real shame as both home and away kits were works of art.

1993/94 Bristol City

cult kits self made brands article bristol city

Bristol City's own brand manufacturer was "Nibor", which to the eagle eyed reader is Robin spelt backwards, a clever play on the clubs nickname. The away shirt was famously worn in a 2-1 away win against Liverpool at Anfield.

1991/93 Swindon Town - Diamond Leisure

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Glenn Hoddle was signed by Swindon Town in a player manger role in 1991 and he guided the Town to back to back promotions including a playoff final win to take the Robin's to the Premier League. The manufacture name is a nod to the clubs unique diamond shaped crest.

2000/01 Gillingham - Gills Leisure

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Gillingham have had the longest stint using their own brand on our list. Their shirts have been adorned by Gills Leisure from 1996 to 2005 and again in 2013 up until 2019.

1996/98 Preston North End - Kit by North End

cult kits self made brands article preston north end

Preston made their own kits from 1996 to 2000, before production was taken over by a company called Bloggs.

2000/01 Coventry City

The 2000/01 kit from the Sky Blue's is a standout example of how to make an own brand football shirt.

Vasco Da Gama 2001

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In 2001, Vasco da Gama spent the season sporting these tidy own brand shirts, worn by Brazilian legend Romario.

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2002/03 Portsmouth - Pompey Sports

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And last but not least is the mixed bag brought to us by Pompey Sports, the above example worn by Paul Merson is a stunner, jump forward to the following two Premier League seasons and they created an interesting template resembling Nike's template of years gone by.

So, there you have it, these are our top picks for own brand football shirts. Are Barcelona making the correct decision to ditch the big brand and take a seat at the sewing machine themselves? Only time will tell, whatever direction they go, all eyes will be on the Catalan giants.