Just over a week ago, the North London club, Arsenal, introduced their new pre-match kit. 

It is unlike anything that we have seen from the Gunners so far. Mixing football with fashion, the club celebrated its long-term association with the members of the Jamaican community.

The club’s popularity among Jamaican fans is extremely high and Arsenal reciprocated the love with a pre-match shirt that resembles the Jamaican flag.

Imbued with black, green, and yellow in a geometric shape, the jersey sends a powerful message of warmth and togetherness down the annals of Jamaican supporters. 

The players wore the top before the game against Fulham and did a good job pulling in more buyers. Since its launch, it has flown off the racks with fans shouting for the club to re-stock their shelves.

Arsenal legend, Ian Wright, had words of praise for this kit as well. 

“It’s fantastic to see Adidas and Arsenal celebrating its rich and diverse fan base.

Arsenal is for everyone and creating initiatives, support, and products that resonate with the wide-ranging fan base is fantastic to see.”

And he was right. The fans loved it.

The Notting Hill Carnival, an annual Caribbean festival event that takes place on the streets of the Notting Hill area of Kensington, saw a huge number of people donning the energetic and vibrant pre-match shirt of the Gunners.

In a euphoric mode, the people wearing the kit patted the club’s crest and praised Arsenal for their blistering start to the campaign.

They went on record to state that the Premier League title will return to the Emirates Stadium this season after 20 years. 

It seemed that the kit was the official attire of the carnival.

Every other person was spotted wearing the shirt with a big smile on his face. The pride in wearing the kit was infectious.

And it was only because the fans have waited long for their club to be taken seriously. 

The past hasn’t been entirely kind to Arsenal and their fans have endured demeaning jokes from the entire footballing community about their beloved club.

This carnival was their coming out party, especially in a top that hits close to home for them.

Arsenal has played it smartly. They have invoked the feeling of nationalism from their Jamaican supporters and tied it with the ‘inclusive’ value of the club. 

It’s an explicit statement that the club appreciates its diverse fanbase and will go to lengths to keep them happy.

We can only hope that Arsenal continues their fiery streak in the Premier League against their eternal rivals Manchester United at Old Trafford on Sunday for the sake of their fans.