A City That Leeds The Way
Admiral has a lot of history with the city of Leeds so it felt right to honour not only our heritage in the city but celebrate some of the icons of its music and football scene.
The city of Leeds and Admiral have half a century of history together having partnered to innovate and form the foundations of football as we see it today. We always wanted to honour this in a garment and celebrate the city's music and football culture which is renowned around the globe. If you want to talk about football and music in the city three icons of Leeds are at the forefront; The Square Ball, Crash Records and The Brudenell Social Club, that's why we collaborated to drop a unique new selection of t-shirts.
Designing The Leeds T-Shirt
The unique graphic created by Daren Newman takes inspiration from the Corn Exchange, Yorkshire Rose and original coat of arms of the city which is all encapsulated around the collaboration partners Brudenell Social Club, The Square Ball and Crash Records.
“It’s great to be working with so many iconic parts of the city all at once. Admiral has a special history with Leeds and to be able to celebrate it with people that are fans of the brand is very special.” - Theo from Admiral Sporting Goods
Admiral x The Square Ball
In the city's football scene there is none bigger and more respected than The Square Ball. They have been providing high quality journalism since 1989 and now produce magazines, podcasts and merchandise. To represent TSB we opted to apply the design to our Buzzard Blue Aylestone tee.
“Admiral has a long and iconic association with the city of Leeds. The Square Ball teamed up successfully with Admiral last year and are proud to collaborate again, this time alongside The Brudenell and Crash Records - two massively important figures on the Leeds music scene. Daren Newman's fantastic design celebrates the City we love and it's an honour for The Square Ball to be included within it.” - Paul from The Square Ball
Admiral x Brudenell Social Club
If you haven't seen an up and coming band, or a secret gig from the Kaiser Chiefs, at Brudenell Social Club then you are missing out on one of the centrepieces of the Leeds music scene. Founded in 1913 the venue shares a deep history aligned with our own brand which made it a must for the collaboration. To represent The Brudenell we opted to apply the design to our Sitta Rubber Aylestone tee.
“We released a classic shirt last year, which formed a relationship with Admiral, who have a long golden vintage history with Leeds. So when this came up, we were delighted to come together with some of the other great institutions of our city, both music and football that we’re so passionate about. Darren’s design also encapsulates so much, it’s brilliant. Together as Leeds fans, we sing proudly at every match, ‘We are Leeds!’” - Nathan from Brudenell Social Club
Admiral x Crash Records
Crash Records have been a part of the the city's music scene for over 35 years. They have been located on Leeds's Headrow ever since, serving multiple generations of music lovers. To represent Crash Records we had to take influence from Crash's shopfront and apply the design to our Hammer Yellow Aylestone tee.
“As a lifelong Leeds United fan, I have great memories of our first Admiral kit in 1973, although I can't say the same thing about my day trip to Wembley for the FA Cup final against Sunderland that year! It was a real honour to be asked to take part in this collaboration along with some great Leeds institutions. I shall wear my t-shirt with pride.” - Ian from Crash Records
Completing The Leeds Collection
To complete the collection we've used colourways that are synonymous with the city of Leeds and it's football routes. The Warren tee, a panelled long sleeved t-shirt, is one of the stand out pieces of the range. We've paired this with t-shirts, hoodies, quarter zips and our signature sweatshirts. Make sure you check out the full collection here.
Getting the Shots
The Corn Exchange has always been one of our favourite locations and when we decided to work on a collaboration tee there was only one place we were heading to capture the full collection. This location alongside the individual partner venues provide a perfect backdrop for The Leeds Collection.
Having said all this, it only comes together if you can work with a great photographer and Lee Brown brought the collection to life with some amazing photography around the city. Let's not forget the model. We wanted someone who was local to Leeds and loved both music and football, Sam Mccroakam was the perfect choice.
