After a winter’s worth of tension and excitement, last week saw Worcestershire County Cricket Club launch the brand-new 2026 Teamwear range in stunning style.
With the innovative and daring kits all catching the eye, Macron’s groundbreaking partnership with the Club, that has facilitated their first venture into English County cricket, has started in the boldest way possible.
The 2026 shirts, designed with the club’s official creative partners, BEARD, are inspired by the newly engineered “Art of the Game” creative direction, blending key themes from traditional, renaissance-based, Italian art, with more modern and contemporary concepts of street art.
Today, we are taking a look behind the long, carefully thought-out process, that sees the original idea transformed into the final product.
The Material:
With sustainability at the forefront of each design, each shirt is manufactured from Eco Gotex, a fabric made from 100% post-consumer recycled plastic, highlighting Macron’s endeavour to reduce waste and promote energy efficiency that is prominent throughout the kit design and manufacture process.
Many factors have to be taken into account when a shirt is designed, with thoughts such as the fit, durability, practicality, comfort and aesthetic all considered in depth. The unique challenge with manufacturing the 2026 teamwear range, however, is that all three match shirts have different features and designs, making the manufacturing process even more influential.
Common Materials Include:
Polyester: A lightweight, breathable fabric that is resistant to creasing and helps keep moisture away from the skin.
Elastane: Known best for its elastic properties, elastane inhibits maximum freedom of movement and is built to sustain the rigours of elite sport
Polyurethane: Used to add names, numbers and logos onto the shirts.
The Features of each shirt:
Whilst all of the shirts are similar in their slim-fit nature, each of the garments possesses a unique attribute that differentiates it from the others.
For instance, the off-white 2026 County Championship shirt has built-in eco mesh inserts on the shoulders and sides that provide ventilation and increased comfort, whilst the new training shirt features a customised graphic design alongside a geometric pattern.
For the first time in the Club’s history, this season will see two separate shirts worn for each respective white ball competition, with the two unique designs continuing the forward-thinking movement of the Club.
Although aesthetically different, the V-neck collar and fabric made of 100% consumer recycled plastic ensure perfect breathability and style on both shirts.
Printing and logo:
Once the design of the shirt has been fine-tuned and the fabrics have been chosen, the next stage of the kit centres around the aesthetics of the shirt, where typically, heat transfer or sublimation printing is used to add on the key components of each unique design.
Although embroidery can be used for logos and extra detailing, this year features a bold, fabric woven Club crest on the front left-panel of each shirt, whilst each respective sponsor is printed onto the shirt.
Commitment to sustainability:
‘Macron 4 The Planet’ is a core strategy upheld by the company in their pursuit of bettering environmental sustainability whilst still providing the highest quality products for clubs, teams, athletes and fans.
The key principles include investing in better cotton, using eco-fabric’s, converting textile waste and choosing eco-friendly packaging that all help contribute to making the company and their products secure a long-term, sustainable future.
While the partnership between Worcestershire County Cricket Club and Macron is only just beginning, the commitment to sustainability is one that has been developing for over fove decades.
To take a closer look at the new 2026 teamwear range, click the link below and browse our online shop.
ONLINE SHOP
