The Calomino Drop - A Boca Story
The Admiral Sporting Goods Calomino Drop is now live. Here we talk through the key collection pieces and why New Brighton beach was the perfect setting to shoot a Boca Juniors inspired Pedro Calomino collection.
‘Time and tide wait for no man.’ It’s not often you can start your day reflecting on a good proverb these days, is it? I think of this one though as I stand on the New Brighton beach at first light and squint into the distance to try and make out the edge of the water. That’s why we find ourselves here at daft o’clock in the morning, so we can get close to the 19th century lighthouse while the tide’s out, and also get the looming Liverpool dockyards in the background. It’s the perfect spot to shoot the Admiral Sporting Goods Argentinian-flavoured ‘Calomino’ collection, though the reasons why might not be immediately obvious.
New Brighton and the La Boca barrio of Buenos Aires have more in common than you might think. Both sit at the mouth of mighty rivers (la boca literally means ‘mouth’), with their horizons scarred by huge steel cranes. Both are adorned with colourful artwork, La Boca retains the influence of early Genoese settlers, New Brighton has benefitted from a recent street art regeneration project. And, as is often the case in working class port areas, both have at times provided fertile ground for more radical socialist politics over the years.
But what led to the docklands of Buenos Aires as inspiration for their Calomino collection? As with much of what we do, there’s an interesting story behind it...
The ‘Calomino’ collection is named after Argentina and Boca Juniors winger, Pedro Calomino, who plied his trade in the early part of the last century. You may not have heard of Calomino, but if you’ve ever watched a game of football, from the local park to the Premier League, you will have seen his legacy more than once. Calomino invented the step over, you see, a footballing trick that has been tying flat-footed defenders in knots ever since.
It was around the time that Calomino was pushing the boundaries and ushering in a new era for football, that Admiral Sportswear first launched as a sports brand, and embarked on our own journey, littered with sporting firsts. It’s no surprise then that the brand found a kindred spirit in the Boca wing wizard, and this collection is designed to celebrate those who are bold enough to go against the grain and do things differently.
The iconic Boca Juniors blue and yellow sported by Calomino features heavily in the collection. Not to go all ‘Inception’ on you, but there’s a story within a story here... Legend has it that Boca were forced to find a new colourway and forfeit their previous blue and white stripes after losing a play off match in 1906. Boca went head-to-head with the similarly-shirted Nottingham de Almagro to see who would get to keep the kit design. Boca lost. The club then decided to adopt the colours of the first ship that sailed into La Boca, the port area of Buenos Aires where the team was formed. The Swedish vessel Drottning Sophia appeared over the horizon and the rest is history.
But what of the gear itself? If there’s one overriding sentiment, it’s ‘quality’. Key pieces include the Chartwell Quarter Zip Top which is designed for comfort, whether it’s before or after any sporting endeavour. It is made from 395gsm 100% cotton and boasts the highest quality RiRi® zip and cover-stitch seams throughout. The 220gsm heavy weight cotton of the Warren long sleeved tee with ‘set in’ sleeves offer a smooth comfortable fit and each panel is individually dyed boasting colours that are crisper than a 20-yard volley into the top bin. Shop the full Calomino Collection here.
Words By Mark Smith
