Nike AIK 1891 Black Edition Shirt
For the unaware, 1891 is when AIK were founded, initially as a general sports club. (The club’s full name, Allmanna Idrottsklubben, in fact means exactly that.) The momentous year features on the club crest, which, remarkably, has remained the same since AIK supporter Fritz Carlsson-Carling first designed it in 1898. More interestingly, perhaps, it’s also front and centre on the shirt, taking pride of place in a shiny, embossed execution where a sponsor logo would usually go. On other limited edition shirts in the series that spot’s been taken by traditional “AIK” lettering, so it’s a significant design choice to switch things up and reference the club’s year of birth instead.
The idea is to celebrate beginnings, rather than endings. Every match, every minute, is an opportunity to start something new, so you have to maintain your focus at all times, forgetting what’s gone before. It’s the champion mentality.
In a way, Nike’s series of AIK special editions has come full circle. The 1901 recalled the past, the Champions shirt celebrated the now, and the 1891 looks ahead to the future. Will part of that future include another limited edition kit? We’ll have to wait and see.
The Nike AIK 1891 All-Black Special Edition Shirt came exclusively to prodirectsoccer.com on 21st January 2019, with only 128 limited edition shirts available. Whilst the shirt sold out within minutes, you can still be part of the world's most stylish club with the AIK and Nike's 1891 Collection, available now at aikshop.se
Note: Retail shirts come unnumbered.