Last week I wrote about the battle of the films: Nike tears up the script, Adidas defends heritage. Rebellion versus legacy. But while six-minute campaigns burn out in a day, another battle is playing out all summer long — and it hits closer to home for designers. Jerseys.

A national team shirt used to be a technical product with a badge on it. Today, it's increasingly becoming a media vehicle. A cultural object. A surface that fashion and music have decided to occupy.

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Seven nations, seven signatures

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The clearest signal comes from Nike's X2 capsule: seven federations, seven collaborators. Palace for England, Jacquemus for France, Patta for the Netherlands, Slawn for Nigeria, PeaceMinusOne for Korea, Drake's NOCTA for Canada, and the Virgil Abloh Archive for the USA.

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Chelsea launches it like a record

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Their 26/27 home shirt arrives with Nike and Roc Nation (Jay-Z's company), under the "Can't Tame Us" campaign by TILL DAWN and ICONIC. A new "Midwest Gold" color, a lion at the center, celebrity teasers, a one-off jersey signed by DJ Khaled, Justin Rose wearing it at the PGA Championship, and Brazilian musician Hariel performing in it on stage in Rio.

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Three things.

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One. You need to know how to design a release, not just a product.

Two. The best signatures don't erase heritage. They make it desirable.

Three. The most interesting surfaces are the contested ones. When sport, fashion, and music all want the same thing, that's where designers still have room to create.

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Until the next one!

Fabio