The archive · Advertising · Marketing decision · 2026
adidas sells Liverpool's 1995 kit via sitcom shop 'Fowler's Sports' — D&AD Yellow Pencil
For Liverpool's 1995/96 kit reissue, adidas built a comedic film inside a fictional Toxteth sports shop run by Robbie Fowler — a D&AD 2026 Yellow Pencil.
adidas · Liverpool FC
What it had to solve
adidas and Liverpool reissued the club's iconic 1995/96 green-white away shirt, a design tied to a golden era of 1990s football culture. The launch needed to make a 30-year-old kit feel culturally relevant to fans of every generation.
How it works
In March 2026, adidas and Liverpool FC launched the 'Bringback' collection, a faithful reissue of the club's legendary 1995/96 away kit — the green, white and black quartered shirt that became a cultural icon beyond the pitch. The challenge was the one every heritage relaunch faces: how do you make a 30-year-old design matter to fans who never saw it first time around?
Instead of a standard launch film, agency Homeground built a fictional world. 'Fowler's Sports' is a retro sports shop in Toxteth, Liverpool, run by club legends Robbie Fowler and Steve McManaman — the first store in town to stock the reissue, and the meeting point for a campaign film that pairs the faces of that original era with current men's and women's first-team players. The D&AD jury recognized the concept with a Yellow Pencil for its knowing references and humor.
The kit itself was a 1:1 recreation — original club crest, classic adidas EQT branding and the era's sponsor — supported by archive-inspired training wear and a tonal 'blackout' edition. The launch extended offline with retro-themed events at Anfield and Liverpool ONE, turning the fictional shop into a physical experience for supporters.
Why it lands
- It turned a product drop into a story: the shop, its owners and its customers gave the reissue a context that pure product photography could not.
- Pairing 1990s legends with current stars made the heritage tangible across generations instead of locking it in the past.
- The world-building carried into retail, so the fiction had physical places fans could visit.
- The humor made heritage feel alive — the D&AD jury cited its knowing references and comedic execution, not just the accuracy of the reissue.
What it did
The campaign won a D&AD 2026 Yellow Pencil, and the fictional shop became the launch's centerpiece — a story fans could step into rather than just an ad for a shirt, with the film distributed through Liverpool FC's own channels.
What you can take
Nostalgia works when it builds a world, not just a reference: giving a reissue an address, characters and comic logic made a 30-year-old shirt feel like a story fans could visit.
Since then
The Bringback collection launched in March 2026 with the 1995/96 away kit reissue at its heart, plus a full archive-inspired training range and a limited blackout edition. The campaign film ran through Liverpool FC's YouTube channel, and retro-themed launch events were held at Anfield and Liverpool ONE. 'Fowler's Sports' earned adidas and Homeground a Yellow Pencil at the D&AD Awards 2026, where it was recognized among the year's best work in the launch's film categories.
Sources
- Fowler's Sports — D&AD Awards 2026
- Liverpool & adidas go retro with throwback to iconic 1995-96 jersey
- Liverpool FC returns to its 1990s heydas with retro Adidas kit release
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