Umbro is combating textile waste and celebrating the upcycling skills of talented creators with its ‘Make New’ campaign, and the brand’s first collaboration is a work of art.

The campaign challenged four creators to take Umbro boots, balls, kits, and other sports apparel and equipment, and revamp them into something new. To launch ‘Make New’ the brand called upon knitwear designer Nova Nørgaard, who uses secondhand yarns to upcycle football jerseys for her clothing brand, Nouveau Nova.

Nørgaard used the 21/22 EA Guingamp goalkeeper jersey and transformed it into an asymmetric, knitted ball gown. The knitted panels of the garment’s skirt come in varying shades of green to match the colours of the jersey, and the look is complete with drawstring woven into the seams of the gown to enable necessary adjustments.

Explaining the themes and inspiration behind her work, Nørgaard said: “The theme of my project is contrasts - the contrast between the more masculine football jersey against the stereotypically feminine shape of the gown. The synthetic, durable fabrics of the jersey versus the delicate knitted panels in cotton, the two-dimensional top versus the three-dimensional bottom and so on.”

Creators can get involved in the campaign by submitting examples of their own upcycled projects to the Umbro website until June 15. The best entries will be sent a mystery box of Umbro products with a challenge to create a unique project. The winner will join Umbro’s global influencer team, Diamond FC, where they will receive regular product drops and upcycling challenges for an entire year.

Take a closer look at the Nouveau Nova gown below.