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Sam Ridgway - 6th May 2020

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Manchester City reveal world-first third kit… designed by AI

Daisy Jackson

Manchester City reveal world-first third kit... designed by AI

Manchester City have just revealed the club’s third kit for the season, and it’s a world-first AI-designed kit.

The new Man City and Puma kit was revealed in full this morning after days of teasing on billboards across Manchester.

For the first time in professional football history, the kit is designed by a fan, using AI.

180,000 fans submitted designs through the Puma AI Creator, with the winning design now projected on some of the city’s biggest digital billboards – on Market Street, and at Printworks.

Created by lifelong Cityzen and stills photographer Elliott, the final design is inspired by Manchester City’s iconic 13/14 season away shirt.

Elliott’s creative interpretation was crowned in January 2025 after a global fan vote.

The digital billboards show each different stage of the AI design process, from prompt to finished design, with the tagline ‘designed by one of us, chosen by all of us’.

Eagle-eyed Man City fans may have noticed a cryptic ‘loading’ screen in town on Tuesday, with just a hint of the shirt visible.

Then on Wednesday, the screens displayed: “AI prompt accepted. Fan vote confirmed. Final Manchester City 26/27 Third Kit design processing.”

Then the full reveal has taken place today, Thursday 27 August, finally unveiling the full shirt with the words: “Designed by one of us. Chosen by all of us”.

Reacting to live images of the billboards, Elliott said: “Seeing my complete design revealed on billboards in the city centre this morning was unbelievable.

“City has been part of our family’s life for as long as I can remember, so this is as good as it gets for me.

“Creativity is naturally part of my everyday life as a photographer, but it was good to turn my hand to something else and see what could be created with the use of AI.

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“The 13/14 away shirt was always my favourite, so it felt like the natural starting point for my prompt. From there, it was amazing to see the technology take that spark of an idea and turn it into something I could actually shape and refine.

“To know that a shirt I designed on my lunch break will now be worn by the players is something I still can’t quite get my head around!”

The 26/27 Manchester City Third Kit will be available at mancity.com/shop and Manchester City Official Stores, with 10% off for Members and Seasoncard holders (automatically applied when logged in with a Member account online).

Featured image: The Manc Group

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Iconic Salford music venue The White Hotel to reopen under new ownership from 2027

Clementine Hall

After announcing plans to close at the end of the year, famed Manchester club The White Hotel is changing hands.

Just a couple of months ago back in May, it was announced that one of Greater Manchester’s most cutting-edge and best-loved nightlife venues would be closing its doors for good.

Despite ‘continuing to draw full houses’, co-founder Ben Ward told The Guardian that the venue had found itself in a flood-risk zone, saying: “Basically, it’s a swamp.”

He added that it was better ‘to go out on our own terms, long before we became a museum’.

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A post shared by BASTION (@bastionmcr)

But it seems the swamp may live on…and although it is the end for the cult favourite nightclub as we know it, the former garage in Salford will be reopening in new ownership from 2027.

From January onwards, the disused Dickinson Street space will be known as BASTION according to a social media post shared to Instagram yesterday.

It will be run by the team who operate neighbouring venue The Bag Factory and will be supported by the Strange Art Collective CIC.

The Bag Factory shared a black and white illustration of the iconic White Hotel’s exterior, along with coordinates to the venue, stating: “The underground has a new stronghold”.

Rather cryptic we must say, and although we hope The White Hotel that we know and love could stick around forever – we hope the new owners will keep some of its magic alive.

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Featured image – The Manc