The latest ‘Northern Quarter’ collection from Umbro celebrates the colourful neighbourhood of Cottonopolis where Steven Square meets Little Lever street.
As much as Ancoats might get all the attention (currently) when it comes to Manchester’s, and Salford’s, ever changing skyline of cranes & soon to be circus stadiums, the Northern Quarter will always be the spiritual home of music, creatives & independents. What was once an inner city of wasteland of wholesalers & seedy sex shops was regenerated into loft apartments, Latino cuisine cafes & vintage sportswear stores to become the industrial North’s fashion mecca. From the original baggy scene bagging a pair of Joe Bloggs jeans at Afflecks Palace back in the late 1980s to randomly bumping into Ian Brown down Oldham Street sometime in the mid noughties, the Northern Quarter is a part of town that holds a place in the hearts of every (Greater) Mancunian. Over the last 20 years the NQ (as it’s known to the locals) has given us everything from Trango’s down Tibb Street to Oi Polloi to the Koffee Pot, as well as the head office home of the iconic diamond logo sportswear brand, Umbro. The latest ‘Northern Quarter’ collection from Umbro celebrates the colourful neighbourhood of Cottonopolis where Steven Square meets Little Lever street.
Alongside calling the Northern powerhouse their home, Umbro’s connection to Manchester is literally like no other sportswear brand. From sponsoring Man Utd in the legendary years of ‘Fergies Dream Team’ to famously kitting out the Oasis frontman in the iconic Umbro drill top at Maine Road in 1996, the diamond logo brand optimises 90s football casual nostalgia. Following on from recent collaborations with Italian streetwear stalwarts, Slam Jam, as well as Palace Skateboards to name a few Umbro are back with a bang for 2025 with a collection of retro rig outs & classic 90s sportswear. Highlights from the ‘Northern Quarter’ collection includes retro football shirts, classic drill tops in a washed cotton fabric, track tops & a wind jacket which draws inspiration from England’s kit from France 98. The Umbro Northern Quarter collection is available now from Umbro & select stockists such as size?. Also don’t forget to subscribe to Sneaker Jobs & follow @sneaker_jobs to keep up to date with all the latest industry news.
This collection is no different, taking inspiration from the spirit of the Northern Quarter to make sportswear classics relevant for streetwear fanatics today.
Helene Hope – Head of Global Brand Marketing
