Glööckler Calls Germany’s Away Jersey a ‘Wonderful Pajama’

The LGBTQ+ fashion designer Harald Glööckler has praised the German national soccer team’s current warm-up jersey as successful and bold. “It’s a good blend of retro and modern design,” Glööckler told the German press agency. He also called the home kit elegant, classic, and understated: “Noble, classic, understated.” He couldn’t say the same about the away jersey. “It doesn’t speak to me at all. I have no sense of connection to Germany or football.”

“Blue is usually associated with seriousness, appears harmonious and calming, and you automatically connect it with the sea and water. Honestly, I don’t see the connection to football, fighting spirit, and the will to win,” Glööckler criticized. Added to this were the white dots. “They’re completely unnecessary and disrupt the image.” The jersey looked downright sleep-inducing. “A wonderful pajama.” The German team will wear the away jersey for the third group match against Ecuador.

Why Glööckler is convinced by Argentina’s jersey

As a positive counterexample, the designer cited Argentina’s away kit. Its flowing motifs demonstrated how blue tones could be used in an interesting way. The traditional Argentinian home jersey with its blue-and-white stripes was also “a home run.” It immediately called to mind football legend Diego Maradona and, with that, the most successful era of Argentinian football.

Glööckler also sees in this the reason for the ongoing popularity of retro elements in fashion. They remind people of positive moments from the past. “Especially in tougher times, people long for beautiful moments and the feeling of security and the hope that everything will be alright again. Remembering the good old days helps with that.”

Jerseys in everyday life? Why not?

At the same time, many people look for role models and a sense of belonging. In his view, this is also an important reason why soccer jerseys have long since become a staple of everyday life beyond the sport. “There’s nothing wrong with that. Why not? If it makes people happy and does them good—a thing that does good for people has never harmed anyone.”