Ajax have further cemented their status as the best-dressed club in Europe this season by adding a fresh batch of flawless prematch apparel to their already exquisite 2022-23 kit collection.
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The Eredivisie champions have teamed up with Amsterdam-based fashion brand Daily Paper to drum up a range of gear inspired by the Dutch capital that includes a jersey, an anthem jacket, a tracksuit and a hooded sweatshirt.
As well as star players such as Steven Bergwijn, Daley Blind, Dusan Tadic and Jurrien Timber, Ajax also enlisted Dutch model Imaan Hammam to help launch the collection and she narrates the launch video with an ode to her hometown.
The new prematch shirt goes even further by celebrating Amsterdam's rich multiculturalism with a distinctive diamond pattern inspired by both the famous old gable-ended facades of the terraced houses that line the streets as well as traditional African beadwork.
Manufacturer Adidas says that the red, green and black colours also represent the large community of people with heritage from across Africa that call the city home.
It's an absolute stunner, and would be one of the season's finest kits in its own right if Ajax chose to wear it during actual matches.
One thing's for sure -- it's certainly head-and-shoulders above the standard of awful warm-up kits worn by Europe's other top clubs this season.
The official anthem jacket will be worn by players when they line up before domestic and European games when Ajax play in their home or third kit. It features the same beaded pattern on the sleeve while the Pan-African theme continues with the Andreas cross, i.e. historic sigil of Amsterdam (the three X's that regularly adorn Ajax paraphernalia) creatively reinterpreted as a Masai shield with crossed spears on the back of the collar.
Another highlight of the Ajax x Daily Paper collaboration is the hooded sweatshirt which features the same Masai insignia on the hood while the streetwear brand's very own coat of arms is emblazoned right across the midriff.
The Daily Paper prematch collection completes Ajax's matchday wardrobe for 2022-23 consolidating their claim as the most suave of Europe's top clubs this season. They fended off strong competition from Paris Saint-Germain, Juventus and Barcelona to top ESPN's European Kit Ranking with their stunning home, away and third alternate match jerseys.
Untainted for over a century, the new Ajax home shirt follows the familiar classic template with the famous red-and-white "apron" design tastefully adorned with glints and glimmers of gold trim. Never has the old phrase "if it ain't broke, don't try to fix it" been more apt.
The away shirt is a lush blue jersey that allows the regal bands of red and gold trim to really pop. Once again the Andreas cross is on show, formed in the negative space created by the triangular shapes on the collar and cuffs.
adidas ✘ Ajax ✘ Daily Paper
— AFC Ajax (@AFCAjax) August 24, 2022
Thoughts on our new 3rd kit? 💛
The third shirt was the first offering from Ajax's partnership with Daily Paper. The result was a pale, burnished gold/beige shirt covered in blurred splotches that on closer inspection were revealed to be faint images of a selection of Amsterdam's most prominent 5-a-side pitches -- a nod to the city's "golden generation" of street footballers.