August 1 – Tottenham did something a bit different for their clash with Arsenal at Hong Kong’s Kai Tak Stadium and it had nothing to do with new manager, Thomas Frank’s, tactical tweaks. The north London rivals squared off outside the UK for the first time, but it’s the shirt numbers that caught the eye.
Spurs commissioned local Hong Kong artists ‘ParentsParents’ to design bespoke numbers that graced their shirts for this one-off derby.
ParentsParents is a collective that mixes graffiti with geometric illustration and they created shirt numbers that aimed to capture Hong Kong’s “unique urban charm.” Their brief was to blend Tottenham’s existing typography with the city’s distinctive nightscape and cultural rhythm. Whether that translates to better football remains to be seen, but it’s certainly more imaginative than another bland training ground photo opportunity.
The artists reckon say their work represents a fusion of Eastern and Western aesthetics, which sounds about right for a city that’s spent centuries as the meeting point between east and west.
Tottenham’s Asia tour is part of a broader strategy to build their global brand, and initiatives like this show they’re thinking beyond the usual “turn up, play, leave” approach that’s plagued so many pre-season tours.
The temporary nature of these artistic numbers might seem like a missed opportunity, but it’s actually quite smart. Create something unique, generate buzz on social media, get the local press talking, then move on. Classic modern football marketing and a chance to sell even more jersey’s.
It’s unclear if the shirts helped Spurs in the North London derby but they did squeak out the 1-0 win.
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