National team: here is the new Adidas shirt inspired by marble

Footyheadlines.com
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The images released by the website Footyheadlines.com show the veining of the precious material on all the shirts.

It is only a sneak peek, but it is already making the national team fans dream again after two consecutive World Cups without Italy. Images released by Footyheadlines.com show the Azzurri’s new game uniforms by Adidas (who replaced Puma after 19 years) in a sportswear shop in South Africa: they recall marble, and the veining of the precious material are immediately noticeable details.

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Italy, the national team jersey from 2023

The first shirt, blue, has white veins, and on the shoulders and along the sleeves, there are the three white stripes typical of Adidas, although the fans had hoped for a tricolour motif. The second jersey is white with light blue shaded details. The sleeves, one green and one red, form the country’s flag.

A ‘marble’ effect decoration; this is the characteristic feature of the new away kit of the Italian national football team by Adidas. Matteo Venturi, president of the Massa-Carrara delegation of Confindustria: “For us, it is a great honour to see the textures of our marvellous marble on the away jersey of the Italian national football team, and thus a true ambassador of Italian spirit in the world, an acknowledgement of the fact that we represent one of the most glamorous and famous materials in the world, given our millenary history, it is truly a great satisfaction, and it will be even more beautiful to cheer on the Italian national team”. And then he specifies: “Adidas’ choice to propose the marble effect, was to reproduce, as I mentioned, the extraordinary texture that characterises our marbles, but what makes Carrara Marble special is that it is a natural stone, and therefore each block is unique, an unrepeatable texture. This is what we would like to see emphasised, which now more than ever leads me to say, ‘be wary of imitations’. I can already imagine the rush that will be on the part of tile companies to mass-produce floor and wall coverings that recall that weave. It is part of the game and is up to us to take up the momentum from this wonderful news with even greater determination and professionalism in pursuing what we have already summarised in our ‘Being Marble’, the manifesto of sustainability and the circular economy of Carrara marble.

Uniqueness

That Adidas was inspired by marble, especially Carrara marble, as a symbol of Italian uniqueness is certainly pleasing but not surprising. When in 2014, the European Commission proposed a few examples of non-agricultural products to be protected with a geographical indication to enhance traditional European know-how, it chose from the dozens of possible ones, four iconic products throughout Europe: Carrara marble, Bohemian crystal, Scottish Tartan fabric, and Aubusson tapestries. We hear more from President Venturi: “We are now waiting for the jersey to be made official, then it would be nice to organise an event here too, perhaps with some of the national team’s players or the coach Roberto Mancini himself, a tour of the quarries and a visit to our centres of excellence, including the Marble Way. We have many ideas”.