Munich's biggest clubs, Bayern München and 1860 München, have both released special Oktoberfest themed kits to celebrate the Bavarian festival. Here we compare both shirts to see which club can claim bragging rights for the best Oktoberfest kit.
Bayern vs 1860 München 22-23 Oktoberfest Kits
A few things have to be taken into consideration here. First of all, Bayern are one of Adidas' elite clubs, so the quality and customisation of their special kits could reasonably expected to be superior to those of 1860 Munich, who play in the third division of German football and generally receive teamwear from Nike. How the Oktoberfest shirts fit into each club's 22-23 set of kits will also be taken into account, and most importantly, how the theme has been worked into the design.
Bayern München 22-23 Oktoberfest Kit
Adidas have given Bayern a Bordeaux coloured shirt with gold details, a smart colour combination albeit one with no obvious ties to the festival, although Adidas claim the gold creates a link to classic Bavarian clothing. An Edelweiss symbol is embroidered on the back below the neckline and the embroidery around the crest are supposedly references to Bavarian tradition.
The socks also bear the pattern of the Bavarian flag but in a black and bordeaux colourway that adds some much needed detail to the otherwise plain - but good-looking - kit. This element could have been incorporated into the tonal band running down the centre of the shirt for a more interesting look.
The shirt is basically identical to their 22-23 away jersey but with the base colour changed, and really seems like an opportunistic move to release another kit by slapping the Oktoberfest tag on it and adding some very minor details.
1860 München 22-23 Oktoberfest Kit
At first glance, this shirt may look like a weaker effort because of its teamwear template, but all in all it has more Oktoberfest credibility than Bayern's, thanks to its numerous details. The chain-link pretzels on the cuffs, Münchner Kindl below the collar, "O'zapft" motto accompanied by another pretzel above the hemline and Bavaria statue embossed into the fabric all mean that it definitely corresponds to the theme.
After many previous designs inspired by the blue and white "Tracht" shirts that are typical Oktoberfest attire, this year the colour scheme is a little less obviously linked to the festival. The green torso and white sleeves is possibly intended to resemble a green vest worn over a white shirt, another traditional look sported at Oktoberfest, which is also an easy fit for the Tiempo Premier II template.
Verdict
If we were judging the shirts based on looks alone, then Bayern would win quite easily, but if a club releases a shirt with a particular theme, there has to be a visible effort to make it relevant. As outlined above, 1860 München's green and white number comfortably beats Bayern's stylish bordeaux shirt on customisation, and is more worthy of being labelled an "Oktoberfest kit".
1860 Munich's previous Oktoberfest shirts.
With that said, compared to some of their own previous efforts, the references may be less blatant, but whether that's a good or a bad thing is down to personal opinion. Which of the shirts do you prefer? Let us know your thoughts in the comments?