How is a playing shirt made?

A marathon awaits the club and its trusted supplier since 2012. The devil in this development process is in the detail. It takes almost two years between the presentation of the initial idea and the start of sales of a new home playing shirt. Carsten Cramer, responsible for sales, marketing and digitalisation, speaks of a "very coordination-intensive process" in which there are various basic parameters to consider. In this process, PUMA puts the ideas on the table, "and we", says Cramer, "then return them". In the end, the cooperation between club and supplier should become a success story if possible; it consists of six acts.

First act, late summer 2019 

A small delegation from PUMA meets with the BVB experts. The PUMA delegates explain the holistic framework that the creative minds from their company would like to set in the 2021/22 football season. They then discuss with the BVB representatives: Which Dortmund ideas, if any, can be integrated into this concept? Again, three playing shirts have to be designed in parallel: Home, away and Cup. Sometimes it is only one design that results in a shirt, sometimes it is several, which leads to several concepts later being on the table. PUMA also informs about technological innovations at a first meeting. One example: After four years of development, the company is launching "Ultraweave", an extremely light and very thin shirt that weighs only 100 grams instead of the previous 200 grams. "Ultraweave" is made of Drycell, a recycled polyester that dries quickly, reduces water absorption and is also considered very durable and breathable. Such innovations only go into series production after a positive appraisal by the protagonists. "PUMA wants to show the competitive athlete that they not only produce chic products, but also ones in which the athletes feel comfortable," Cramer explains.  

Second act, Autumn 2019 

At PUMA, a core team of five specialists is established to accompany the entire process, including the product manager responsible for the entire process and two designers. On the long road to production readiness, at times this team in Herzogenaurach will grow to 15 members. The club's clear colour scheme - home shirt with at least 50 per cent yellow, away shirt black - is an essential building block for Borussia Dortmund. Unlike in England, where only the home shirt has to be "classic" in design and colouring, it sets certain limits for the designers. "Blue or red are of course not possible for Dortmund," says Lucia Walter (Teamhead Graphic Design at PUMA), "we strictly adhere to the club's specifications. But there is room for creativity." 

But yellow is not yellow. Blogger Harald Schendera (Friedberg) notes 220 (!) different shades of yellow, pale and light yellow, sulphur yellow and canary yellow, banana yellow, parrot, beer or yolk yellow. The poet Johann Wolfgang von Goethe published his book "Zur Farbenlehre" (On the Theory of Colours) in 1810, in which he associated the colour yellow with attributes such as "splendid" and "noble". It is said that yellow is the best colour to arouse enthusiasm for life and to stimulate optimism. Yellow is considered the "sun among colours", is radiant, is said to offer hope, happiness and fun - and is therefore an ideal match for Borussia Dortmund, just like the atmospheric south stand, which is by no means coincidentally revered worldwide as the Yellow Wall ("Gelbe Wand"). Yellow is therefore obligatory for the home playing shirt. But apart from the colour scheme and the equally non-negotiable visibility of its logo, Borussia is giving its shirt partner a free hand. "Apart from that, we are open," Cramer asserts. "If you narrow things down too much - how can creativity come out of that?"

Third act, January 2020 

The first sample presentation is scheduled. The presentation of the designs takes the form of a small show. Models show off the shirts. "It makes a huge difference whether a shirt is hanging on a hanger or whether a player is wearing it and moving around," says Dennis Ernst (Senior Product Line Manager at PUMA). In Dortmund, they are letting the impressions sink in. BVB has just under two weeks for feedback. "We have a group of eight to ten people involved in this," Cramer reveals, "we take a relatively large number of people with us." The review group on the Black & Yellow side includes marketing experts, members of the fan department and the players' council. Now it's usually a matter of minor details: Do we have to change the graphics again? Are the main and sleeve sponsors appropriately integrated? Is something written on the collar? Does the shirt look too similar to its predecessors in the recent past? The supplier discusses requests for corrections and questions of feasibility with its development department, with clothing technicians and the factories involved. "Of course, it's nice to get the basic go-ahead with the first samples," emphasises PUMA's Ernst, "but theoretically it's still possible for a shirt design to be completely discarded and the process to start all over again."  

Fourth Act, May 2020 

A second presentation with modified designs is pending. After three quarters of a year, the project is ready for a decision: this is what the shirts will look like for the 2021/22 season. The Borussia directors, who meet once a week for consultations, have long since been informed. Together with merchandising manager Kerstin Zerbe and her department, Cramer considers which shirt will only be worn by the team, which will later go on sale, where a sponsor's logo will go on it and where it will not. 

Fifth act, October 2020 

PUMA places concrete orders with the manufacturers of the shirts (mainly in Vietnam and China). Production starts in large numbers. In February 2021, the first pallets are loaded onto container ships with Bremerhaven as the port of destination, followed by further transport and storage at PUMA before the journey continues - to BVB and to sporting goods retailers.

Sixth act, May 2021 

Shortly before the final home game of the season against Bayer Leverkusen, BVB reveals the secret and shows its new home kit. Eye-catching: the zebra-striped look on the sleeves. The run in the fan shops begins. Only after some time has passed does Borussia also present the playing kits for away and cup appearances. The Cup shirt triggers a passionate controversy because of the invisible club crest. "We have learned a lot from this," assures Lucia Walter, "we have learned to put the fans and their needs even more in the foreground." PUMA boss Björn Gulden admits the mistake, calms the situation and apologises. Now more than ever, Gulden knows that shirts are a very emotional topic.

"We have learned to put the fans and their needs even more in the foreground"

Opinions naturally differ on the question of which shirt is attractive and which is not. The fact that the feedback on the Cup shirt was negative in parts of the fan scene is something that Managing Director Cramer takes "fundamentally seriously" and "criticism even more so". Cramer says: "We take note of criticism and check for its justification." But even if the echo is loud and unfriendly, as it was last autumn, the marketing expert doesn't immediately go ballistic about it like the famous HB man in the cigarette advertisements once did. "You become more relaxed because there is no objective taste."

There were no differences of opinion about the special shirt with which Borussia Dortmund honoured the heroes of the 1990s in black and neon yellow in the 4-1 win against Werder Bremen last April: it sold like hot cakes and was sold out within a few hours, although five times as many shirts were ordered as in previous special shirt campaigns. In the meantime, 150,000 people visited the online fan shop at the same time, a total of 50,000 shirts were ordered, and many fans went away empty-handed. The shirt had to be re-produced and was delivered four months later. 

Why are retro shirts so in demand? "It's like looking back through your own photo album," says Cramer, "a look back combined with emotions. Retro shirts are associated with positive memories. It reanimates cool, great moments from the club's history." With special shirts like this, the development cycle is shorter than in the regular production process. This makes it all the more challenging to launch an extra shirt for a special occasion: Time is saved wherever necessary. One sample round has to be enough. The shirt should be on the market after just one year. PUMA specialist Dennis Ernst: "We clarify with developers and manufacturers beforehand whether that is even possible." The homage to the golden nineties becomes a sensational sales success - almost 100,000 shirts find a new owner.

In the current episode of the BVB Podcast Denis Othmani (BVB Merchandising) and Dennis Ernst (PUMA) talk about the development of the 2023-24 home shirt, which was designed by Black & Yellow fans.

Writer: Thomas Hennecke