"We Will Keep Winning": Ian Wright Can’t Wait to Wear Arsenal’s New Kit

It finally happened. After years of painful near-misses, Arsenal finally won the Premier League. Mikel Arteta’s men did what hadn’t been done for over two decades, and the vibes, according to bonafide Arsenal legend Ian Wright, are impeccable.

The ex-Arsenal talisman, who scored 185 goals for the Gunners, was there celebrating with the hordes of Arsenal fans who congregated outside the Emirates on the day Arsenal finally crossed the line. But ahead of the new season, it's all eyes on Arsenal, so it better come correct. And who better than Wrighty to help launch the Arsenal kit for their first season as Premier League champions in 22 years?

Aligning with the premiere of Arsenal By Design, a documentary charting the creation of this historic kit — below, Highsnobiety is exclusively debuting the trailer — we chatted with Mr. Ian Wright, one of the smiliest and best-dressed men in football, about the new kit from the perspective of someone who's lived, breathed, and dressed Arsenal for over 30 years.

Let's start simple. What's your favorite feature of the new Arsenal kits?

As a fan, our new away kit has something special about it. Having the bruised banana [an iconic early-'90s Arsenal kit pattern] subtly woven into it is a nice way to link the different generations of Arsenal fans and players. The navy blue and yellow go well together but it's the modern spin on the history of a great shirt. It’s strong but still cool.

On the home kit, I like having the pattern on the collar carry through to the trim on the shorts. Once again, adidas have nailed it. You can see by the response from the fans that they love it.

How will you style the shirts?

I don’t over think it. The away kit with some nice loose-fitting, dark denim jeans and then I'll do my thing with accessories. Neckerchief, and a Panama hat or baseball cap. I’ve seen the fans really style the shirts in a cool way, especially the women with their different cuts and adding little bits of customization to it.

What was it like being a part of the film and campaign for this new kit?

The original bruised banana will always be special to me. I can’t lie about the fact that it’s still one of the reasons for my deep connection with the club and the fans. To see it come back again, this time with the navy blue, is great.

Being on the set with the current players and seeing their reaction to the kit was lovely. There was a great energy, the pattern is so iconic, and it means something to everyone. You see it more and more in other things now as well… cups, mugs, scarves, I even saw it on a golf cart recently! It's a pattern etched into our club's history, completely synonymous with Arsenal.

What are your favorite Arsenal kits of all time?

The bruised banana, of course; I’ve spoken about that a lot already. It’s the kit I made my debut in with Rocky [David Rocastle]. When people see that kit they think of Arsenal and some of them think of me scoring. And then more recently, the third kit from last season. The clean white of Highbury’s East Stand marble halls, a cool collar – those little details make a shirt so easy to wear with anything. I feel like that shirt became an instant classic.

Between all the recent big collaborations, there's also been a ton of demand for great vintage Arsenal gear. What's your favorite bit of memorabilia to wear?

It has to be my black leather bomber jacket with the old Arsenal badge on it. The team from Classic Football Shirts got it for me. I don’t even know how they got it. I’ll always have it in my wardrobe because it won’t go out of style and I can wear it with pretty much anything. It's become something people ask me about.

How would you describe the feeling around the club after that last season?

There’s a real hunger for more, you can sense it. Once you’ve tasted success like we did last season, especially with the journey to get there being so tough, it makes everyone determined to go again and help cement our manager and this squad as the best we’ve had.

Mikel is now the only Premier League-winning manager left in the league this season, so it feels like an opportunity for us as a club to really kick on. I try not to get caught up in all the transfer rumors and stories, I feel like you can be disappointed about something that was never even meant to happen.

What are you most excited about for next season?

Everyone has to keep referring to us as champions! But the energy of our fans is the most exciting thing for me. While I was in NYC for the World Cup, every Arsenal fan I saw was beaming.

I’m also glad I won’t have to keep repeating myself, with people questioning the team's mentality for the whole season. We’ve done it, we got over that line and now we will go again. We will keep winning.

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