Whether it be for the talent it produces, the style of play, or more aesthetically with the pristine kits that get rolled out each year, the J-League has often captured the hearts of football fans all over.
Kashima Antlers’ latest 2024 release is certainly one to file under that latter category. The club who finished fifth last season in the ever-growing Japanese top flight have brought out a home and away shirt as symmetrically pleasing as their badge.
There’s homage to previous releases too, as the red home shirt adopts a chequered pattern similar to that of 2014’s. However, with this pattern in a bigger size, it’s made up of small circles and has a filtered look – accentuating the graphic details. The “use of dark navy for the shirt collar and sleeve ribs gives the distorted digital checks a tighter look”. Navy is also used on the shorts and socks. The sponsors ‘Mercari’ and ‘LIXIL’, bring a nice symmetry to the shirts – especially on the red home edition.
The away shirt, although slightly more simple, still looks slick with a crisp white. Again, it’s another shirt that’s taken inspiration from predecessors. This time, the black shoulder area is in homage to the kit of 2004, and contrasts the white and dashes of red coolly. The away shirt’s shorts and socks are white too, leading to a smart and consistent snowy look.
The club from ‘Deer Island’ have yet to announce a date for these newest shirts to go on sale, yet fans can no doubt look forward to the likes of young star Ryotaro Araki and Yuma Suzuki taking to the field in the new strips in February as the 2024 J-League gets underway.
