Puma Lazio Home 08/09

The double layer craze of the 2002 World Cup is back, this time it's Puma who have decided to create headaches for heat press operators around the world! Remember back in Japan during the 2002 World Cup final when one of the Brazilians couldn't figure out how to put his two layer shirt back on? Well Puma has actually come up with a double-layer shirt that is easy to pull back on without needing assistance from the kit manager.

The jersey features a top layer that is mesh and a softer interior layer which are then attached together along the neck line as well as along the bottom hem. More on that shortly. There are three Puma cat logos on the shirt: one on the chest opposite the team badge, and on each shoulder. They are made of rubber, which is actually a nice alternative to the standard embroidery or heat transfer.

The concept of the jersey is to have two independent layers to maximize air circulation and moisture control. Uh... right. Anyways, it actually is pretty comfortable to wear as the interior layer is pretty soft and light. Along the bottom of the hem there is an opening which is there to facilitate printing on the jersey. For a detailed description of how that works, click here to check out our Print Room section.

The back panel of the jersey is fabric, not mesh, and is connected to the mesh layer using a technique called thermal bonding. Basically, it's glued together much the same way names and numbers are applied to a shirt using heat and pressure to make the bond. The theory is that without the stitching you can make the shirt lighter. It's all about performance! There might just be some truth to it, Italy did with the World Cup in a thermal bonded Puma shirt. Above is a detailed picture of the hem line along the bottom of the back panel where it connects to the mesh. Look Ma! No stitches!

The SS Lazio club badge is embroidered, and that is probably the heaviest component of the jersey.

All in all we give this shirt our stamp of approval. It's got a classic look to it which probably is enhanced by the fact that there is no sponsor logo across the front, but while being simple it also has the double layer factor going on. We also would like to go on record as being the first to come up with the idea of triple-layer shirts for those cold European winter night matches. You know that's gotta be coming soon!