Dutch Football Designed

Fashion design

The only team to make it into the final undefeated, we take a look at the Dutch team’s jerseys and hear about the thinking behind their design. We also place our bets for Sunday.

By Gabrielle Kennedy / 08-07-2010

Anthropological football commentator Simon Kuper writes for Britain’s Financial Times. He has called the Dutch football team, or Oranje as they are known over here, the world’s second favourite team. He writes about them using reverent language and always with a palpable respect for their tactics and ideas. But when design.nl spoke to him today in South Africa, Holland’s biggest foreign football fan was not at all happy.

“National differences have completely disappeared,” Kuper hissed down the phone. “No team has their own style.”

It is an opinion that contradicts the thinking behind the design of the Dutch team’s jerseys. Sponsored by Nike, each bright orange top is made from eight recycled plastic bottles, which according to Nike’s PR material rescues thirteen million bottles from landfill. Less bold than the colour or the admirable attempt to be green, are the two flags stitched onto the player’s left breast – the Dutch flag and the flag of the opposing team.

“Ours is the only team in this World Cup to play with two flags,” says Renske Bruinsma from the KNVB (Royal Dutch Football Association).

The tradition can be traced back to the World Cup in ’98. Oranje was tossed out in the semi-final, losing to Brazil. In the games they played, the team wore jerseys with the Netherlands as well as the name of the opposing country in printed text. Shortly after, the text was replaced with actual flags.

The official explanation offered quotes design. “From an aesthetic point of view it just looks better,” says Bruinsma. “Flags are much more distinctive than text.”

It’s also possible to interpret the decision as being typically Dutch. Holland enjoys - rightly or wrongly - a reputation for openness, and an embracing attitude. On the football field they are respected for preferring to lose beautifully than to win playing ugly, or worse, boring football.

“For years Oranje has been a team that distinguishes itself by playing attractive and offensive football,” Bruinsma says. “We believe that having both flags on the player’s shirts contributes to the uniqueness of Dutch football.”

But no more - at least according to Kuper. “As a symbol of openness people don’t even care or notice,” he says – his mood worsening as our conversation continues. “It’s a nice gesture - sure - but I think more people notice the tipping and dirty play.”

Apparently neither the design of their jerseys nor their reputation for playing beautiful football in the past can keep Holland’s preferred critic on side. Just days ago Kuper wrote that Holland plays “football as chess, not football as wrestling,” saying that they have the most intelligent football culture on earth. But so far in this World Cup they have been issued fifteen yellow cards in six games – the most of any team. Nasty tricks and mean antics won’t win any team fans in the upper echelons of respectable British journalism.

How quickly one can fall from grace.

My final question to Kuper about who he predicts to win the cup is answered before my question even ends. “Spain!” he spits.

Design.nl thinks otherwise.

Images: small from top Wesley Sneijder (2), team captain - Giovanni van Bronckhorst, Oranje's jersey.