Football meets art and culture in a unique collaboration celebrating the identity of the city of Oxford. Macron, Oxford United and the Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archaeology present a new limited-edition shirt created to mark the opening of the major exhibition “In Bloom: How Plants Changed Our World”.
The jersey is born from the meeting of sport, art and cultural heritage – three elements deeply rooted in the history of the city of Oxford. The project draws inspiration directly from the “In Bloom” exhibition, which explores the fascinating and often surprising stories behind some of Britain’s most beloved plants and flowers, recounting tales of exploration, discovery and knowledge.
Oxford United’s “In Bloom” shirt comes in a soft shade of yellow, with a crew neck and knitted sleeve cuffs featuring pink and green details. The design is characterised by a reinterpretation of Study of Wild Rose, a work by the Victorian thinker and artist John Ruskin, a historical figure closely connected with the city of Oxford. The floral motif, reworked in a graphic style, extends across the entire surface of the shirt, creating a refined and evocative aesthetic that reflects the dialogue between nature and art celebrated by the exhibition. At the centre of the shirt appear the iconic ox head, symbol of Oxford United, and the Macron Hero, positioned one above the other and both in navy blue. On the back of the shirt, beneath the player’s number, the logo of the Ashmolean Museum appears, marking this special collaboration between Oxfordshire’s only professional football club and the United Kingdom’s first public museum.
From a technical perspective, the shirt features a slim fit. As with all garments produced by Macron for its partner clubs, this special edition is made using Eco Fabrics, polyester fabrics derived 100% from post-consumer recycled plastic, confirming the brand’s commitment to increasingly sustainable production. Specifically, the shirt is made from Eco Exalock, a lightweight and durable technical fabric characterised by a hexagonal jacquard structure that ensures comfort and performance. The rear panel in Eco Micromesh and inserts in Eco Mesh provide optimal breathability and ventilation during sporting activity.
The shirt is available in both short- and long-sleeved versions. The kit is completed by soft yellow shorts with pink and green details on the side bands. The socks are also soft yellow, featuring two thin pink and green stripes at the top and a tone-on-tone ox head crest on the calf.
The launch campaign for the shirt was shot in the stunning Oxford Botanic Garden, one of the oldest botanic gardens in the world. The images and short film capture the connection between sport, art and storytelling, reinforcing Oxford United’s ambition to represent far more than just a football club: a cultural symbol deeply intertwined with the city and its history.
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