Before we’d worked with a single grassroots club, made merch for our favorite band, or obtained an obsessive interest in the Ghana Premier League - Icarus began as a historical football shirt project. And with Icarus approaching its tenth birthday, we’ve returned to our roots in a big way.
We’ve partnered with The Rest Is History Podcast to release a limited collection of historical kits inspired by some of the podcast’s most popular series. We asked Dominic and Tom to dream up their historical dream teams (complete with a star player or two) and then got to work creating a bespoke design that drew on their history, art and culture.
From now until the end of the World Cup, The Rest Is History and Icarus are running a presale of these crossover football shirts - a fitting item for one of the podcast world’s most fervent fanbases.
Once the region’s most dominant dynasty, the Aztecs built their reputation on relentless intensity and a generation of home-grown warriors willing to put their bodies on the line for victory.
However, European conquest brought a change in approach that has sparked fierce debate about the dilution of their traditional identity.
Some fans have welcomed the Spanish influence, arguing that the influx of new technology and a new philosophy is necessary to sustain their success. Others take to the stands to level accusations of ‘malinchismo’, a rallying cry used to describe their gradual loss of its ‘jaguar spirit’.
The secret to HMS Victory’s success is clear: having Horatio “The Admiral” Nelson at the helm.
A world class tactician and leader of men, Nelson is renowned for his attacking philosophy which divides pundits and delights supporters. While rival nations favour a cautious, possession-based approach, Nelson remains committed to his trademark tactic: splitting the opposition line in two and attacking both halves simultaneously.
Rome once again head into the new campaign as favourites, with imperial hero Augustus continuing to enjoy free rein over transfers, tactics and nutrition - even going as far as banning cheap provincial olive oils.
There are still questions over squad depth on the Germanic frontier and whether they can cope with a long campaign on multiple fronts. Augustus, however, is confident: “I found Rome an empire of losers and made them winners. And now I’m building a legacy.”
Still, after securing the World Cup last time around, expectations are sky-high around the Eternal City, where supporters demand trophies and regard a quarter-final exit as a full-blown imperial collapse.
Austria-Hungary begin the World Cup under the stewardship of Franz Ferdinand and Sophie, whose long-standing commitment to keeping the empire's many factions together remains central to the project.
Their squad is one of the most diverse in world football. Recruited from across the imperial lands, the dressing room is home to players from dozens of backgrounds, speaking multiple languages and holding very different ideas about how the game should be played.
For now, their ruling body insists everything is under control. With Franz Ferdinand still at the wheel, they maintain that the empire's long term vision is on track. Others are less convinced. As one rival recently put it: "It all looks stable enough…right up until the moment it isn't."
To mark our return to the historical shirt game, we thought we’d open the archive and make some of our most popular historical concept shirts available for preorder one more time!