Inside the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium with KNT Kiton

Since this season there has been a thin thread linking Tottenham, the district located in North London, and the city of Naples. An unexpected link, but one built with strength and passion by the Neapolitan twins Mariano and Walter De Matteis, the third generation of the Kiton family who for the next two seasons will dress the Tottenham players. The English team has already worn the KNT (Kiton New Textures) urbanwear line on several occasions this season, a young brand that focuses on constant fabric research and a modern, sophisticated aesthetic consistent with Kiton's history. 

For the British team, KNT Kiton has created three different outfits, which obviously take their inspiration from London and its lively creative scene, without however forgetting the heritage and sartorial elegance that since 1968 has distinguished the brand created by Ciro Paone. An agreement that does not come by chance, also because the founder has always shown great appreciation for British tailoring as an example of understated, relaxed and luxurious elegance. Mariano and Walter De Matteis' passion for football then did the rest, making a reality what to many seemed an unattainable dream. A reality that we touched with our own hands last week, when at 6.50am from Linate we left in the direction of London, or rather to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

For someone who lives and breathes for football, starting the day in a stadium built in 2019, which in a very few years has become the flagship of the club and the entire Premier League, is synonymous with perfection. To see this ultra-modern facility, which can seat around 62,850 people at the weekend, changing shape and becoming a venue for concerts or NFL games is hard to explain. It is also hard to imagine it empty, both for those of us who are used to seeing stadiums full, with fans shouting and fussing over a bad play or a goal scored, and for the players who look around almost awestruck during shots. 

After arriving in London City, our day continues in the second largest stadium in the Premier League, behind only Manchester's Old Trafford, noting how much the modern structure built by Populous manages to live on and be a landmark for the whole community even on a normal Wednesday afternoon without football. After seeing the stands, the immense interior spaces, the gardeners tidying up and taking meticulous care of every blade of grass and the training rooms, here come the four Spurs who will spend part of the afternoon with us: Ryan Sessegnon, Brennan Johnson, Guglielmo Vicario and Destiny Udogie.

Formal wear has now become a fundamental part of every top-level team, as brands are approaching the world of football - conceiving a club as a brand to collaborate with and not just as a group of players to dress - underlining how cross-sectorality is a concrete way to avoid falling into the usual collabo. Two worlds that are now consolidated, as the Tottenham players also tell us. For all four in fact, fashion is able to give an extra boost to the sport, for Destiny Udogie: "through fashion every footballer can express himself and show another side of the person". A concept also reiterated by Brennan Johnson in our interview: "I think that nowadays, in football, a lot of people are starting to express themselves in the way they dress and, yes, I think that's only a good thing because, of course, we are all football players. We all like playing football, but having other hobbies or interests is always important for the way we live. And even if not everyone is into fashion, that's fine." 

But from the various conversations it is only one point that comes up, comfort. Apart from anything else, footballers have to do a lot of travelling, be it long or short, they need to be able to wear something extremely comfortable and that fits well with their needs and their movements. In fact, all four have emphasised how this is a key point, from goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario: "we all want clothes that are comfortable and soft, and that allow you to travel more than comfortably. Then of course it has to be a nice thing to wear, that's fundamental. But the first requirement remains comfort." Up to Ryan Sessegnon, who, however, in addition to comfort identifies another key point, elegance: "obviously footballers, wherever they go, get their pictures taken. So if you travel, you better look good, you have to look good. So I would say that and comfort."

Two necessities that go well with the elegance and tailoring of KNT Kiton, who has chosen three different looks for the London team - all in blue, of course - ranging from single-breasted mélange suits personally sewn for each player after numerous trials with the Italian brand's tailors, to another ensemble made with Kiton's exclusive 14-micron wool, to a hooded jacket closed by nylon zips and compact sweatshirts with a water-repellent membrane. A piece of Italy well appreciated by footballers like Vicario: "it is certainly important for our country and I think this agreement is a great thing for both of us given the heritage they both have in their two worlds. So far we have worn different outfits, two different styles, but they are great products and it shows."

But that's not all, a style also appreciated by those who, being born in England, are oriented towards opposite outfits and ways of dressing, like Brennan Johnson who, after the ritual photos and still wearing his first suit, tells us: "yes, personally I really like what Kiton has made. The suits we've worn this season are very nice, just because of the way the whole team wears them. And I think everyone is very elegant before a match."

An elegance that we immortalised through analogue film, to imprint this day with a special patina of vintage flavour. Formalwear is playing an increasingly important role in the world of football and the success of the quiet luxury trend linked to Italian tailoring and materials around the world has contributed to the partnership between Kiton and Tottenham. An imaginary bridge that has united two worlds, two apparently different cultures, in the sign of passion for this sport and the desire to never stop believing in one's own aspirations, no matter how distant they may be.