“When we work with the men, they say a tight fit made them feel like a superhero, but for women it’s different. They want to feel comfortable and covered and professional,” says Cassie Looker.

Looker is the senior apparel product manager in global football at Nike and has spearheaded the design and production of the first bespoke women’s kits for the teams it is partnered with at this summer’s World Cup. It launched them with an unveiling in Paris involving leading female athletes from across the sporting world and top models.

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Historically women have gone from men’s team hand-me-downs to women’s-fit versions of those designs worn by their male counterparts. But by putting the female athlete central to its research Nike realised it needed a new starting point.

“It was a totally different fit brief in terms of the data that we have,” says Looker. “That was our starting point but then there were other bits of information like making a jersey easy to take on and off over your hair and ponytail; that women don’t like a deep V, they prefer crew, so making sure the neckline is the right fit; a sleeve that’s not too short.”

Then there are the shorts. “It’s like the Goldilocks of shorts: it has to be just right in terms of where it fits on the leg,” Looker says, with a laugh.

“Footballers generate so much power through their lower body, so they have more developed glutes and thighs and hamstrings, and so we wanted to make sure we were accommodating for that. But not just that, we have to look at how dynamic they are on the pitch; we’re definitely designing for a body in motion. So a short that is too long can be really restrictive. Too short is too revealing.”

Facebook Twitter Pinterest England’s Lucy Bronze and Steph Houghton, right, wear the specially designed kit against Canada. Photograph: Lee Smith/Action Images via Reuters

After years of no say, now the voice of the players is showing in fabric. “They are really the ones that led us in this direction,” Looker says. “We’ve been really obsessing over the fit of our kits for the past three years and have had the opportunity to bring in elite footballers from all across the globe and bring them to our research lab and do 3D body scanning and work with their feedback.”

Nike is one of a long list of brands and companies seeing opportunity in the women’s game and is not alone in providing bespoke World Cup kits. Adidas is doing so, for countries including Germany and Sweden, whose shirts have a collage of pictures from among 57 Swedish female role models within each number. Puma, Umbro and Warrix are also supplying kit for the tournament. “Competition is always good,” Looker says.

She is particularly drawn to Nike’s Australia kit, and likes the way the USA’s resembles the one worn when they won the World Cup in 1999. “That’s great in terms of the storytelling around the ’99ers. I don’t know anyone that can think of Mia Hamm and not see her in that kit from ’99, so to bring that inspiration to this, in 2019, is really something special. France away is also very iconic.”

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Sweden’s specially designed kit includes a collage of some of the country’s female role models in the numbers. Photograph: Pauline Suzor/Adidas

In terms of the England kit, which got its first outing against Canada last Friday, tradition played a strong part in the design process. “The home kit is always sacred in England: the white is very important,” says Looker, but there are design details. “We have ‘the Lionesses’ on the inside for inner pride, which I think is really special, and we have the tonal graphic on the sock which comes to life more in the loud away kit with the hand‑drawn print of the flowers/flora of England.”

The “red crush” away kit has proved particularly popular on social media and was a chance to experiment. “We think of it as speaking more to English counterculture and design, thinking of Vivienne Westwood; something that’s different and bold and uniquely from the country.”

The new kits have also offered a once-in-a-lifetime moment for some players. There will never be another first time a female player unboxes the first kit tailored and designed for them. “When you nail their story and see them looking at the kit for the first time and see the emotion it brings out in them, then you really know you’ve done your job,” Looker says.

“It’s emotional. But that’s what it’s about. You think of how many hours that each of these women have put into football throughout their lives, from a young person to where they are now. We want to make sure we’re giving them the inspiration and innovation they need to achieve their goals in the World Cup. It’s really empowering.”

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