Day 1: The Shoot!
Shortly after arriving in Bologna, the players got to see the new 2026 shirt for the first time in person, and we jumped straight into the first photo shoot. Shooting from lots of angles around the room gave us different perspectives of each shirt, as well as being able to show the finer details with some creative close-ups.
The new T20 shirt looks so striking when you get close to it! The bold, customised, graphic design includes 12 different individual design elements that celebrate 12 years of Worcestershire Rapids, which makes it so unique.
2026 will be the first year that both Worcestershire Rapids teams will be wearing different shirts for both the Metro Bank One Day Cup and the Vitality Blast T20 competitions, as the Club continue to break into new territory.
The shirts, designed with the Club’s official creative partners, BEARD, are inspired by the newly engineered “Art of the Game” creative direction, which blends key themes from traditional, renaissance-based, Italian art, with more modern and contemporary concepts of street art.
The classic design of the County Championship shirt fitted in so well with the ‘high-end’ fashionwear feel of the shoot. The traditional off-white shirt contrasted really nicely with the dark and low lighting, meaning we were able to generate a really crisp and clean final shot. Having all the shirts next to one another gave everyone a sense of their unique features, in both aesthetics and design elements.
Day 2: Lights, Camera, Action!
Day two saw the production of our Kit launch video, which was filmed in around the streets of Bologna. The concept, originated in Worcestershire, was brought to life through a combination of creativity, imagination and dedication by everyone at the Club, BEARD and the relentless hard work by our Videographer, Sheldon, and Photographer, Martin. Seeing multiple shoots taking place simultaneously, all in the heart of a busy and vibrant city, made everyone realise how much time and thought had gone into making this totally unique idea come to life.
The players made great models, Clare and Liv were so willing to get involved throughout the video shoot itself, jumping from location to location in order to secure the right shots in as few takes as possible – especially the ice-cream drop, which was filmed in one take! With the video team editing some short-form and social content on the move, it was very apparent that we were in the ideal place to capture plenty of behind-the-scenes content whilst out and about.
The idea for Brett’s iconic ‘Spaghetti scene’ was suggested during the planning stages of the shoot by our Media team, with the premise of creating a real standout shot. Behind the camera’s that were filming Brett, there were people going about their lives totally unaware of what was going on, which elevated the whole shoot and added such a unique edge to the final product.
Leo, our actor who starred as the centrepiece for the shoot, was the perfect character for what we were trying to engineer. A lot of the day was spent collecting content that was filmed inside the ‘gallery’, where he stole the T20 shirt and then dramatically strode out onto the streets wearing it. The culmination of the video where all the players are shown in the individual shirts tied everything together with a really powerful final shot.
Day 3: Factory Tour
The final day of the trip saw the players and staff given the opportunity to have a tour of the Macron Headquarters in Bologna, which was a fascinating insight. Everyone gained a real understanding for the scale of the operation, but also more appreciation for each aspect of the business.
Andrea Palilla, Macron’s Country Manager for the UK and Ireland, showed everyone around the impressive campus, and explained just how important it was for the company to secure a long-term partnership within the English County game.
The was a very clear ambition from the staff inside the business, who are focussed and driven to succeed at the very top of the sporting and fashion industry, by constantly finding ways to differentiate in a very dense market.
It was important to learn about the values of the company, in particular the focus on sustainability, that runs through the heart of the business. Everything from design, manufacture, production and retail is a carefully detailed and well thought out process that results in such a high-end finished product.
Everyone was fascinated by the array of work that goes into producing a finished Macron garment, with relentless work put into every detail from the tailored fit of each garment through to the final detailing of how the logo is applied to each shirt.
