Umbro

Umbro is an English sportswear house founded in 1924 and best known for football and rugby kit, boots and equipment carrying its double-diamond emblem. It was started in Wilmslow, near Manchester, by brothers Harold and Wallace Humphreys, and its name is a portmanteau of "um" from Humphreys and "bro" from brothers [3]. The company is owned by the American brand-management firm Iconix Brand Group, which acquired it in 2012 [3]. Umbro remains active: it marked its centenary in 2024 and announced a 2026 relaunch in the United States and Canada under Iconix International [4][5].

On Glowjakt, Umbro appears not for its apparel but for a licensed line of men's and women's fragrances and grooming products — eau de toilette, deodorant body sprays, body wash and body care — sold under the Umbro name through third-party retailers.

⚑ Thinner sourcing. The article relies largely on the brand's own statements (T2–T3). Glowpedia is seeking independent sources.

The company was founded in 1924 in Wilmslow, in the Manchester area, by Harold and Wallace Humphreys, initially under the name Humphreys Brothers Limited [3]. It was later rebranded as Umbro, the shortened form that combines the family surname with "brothers". According to the brand's own account, the business grew out of football and rugby from the start; its stated founding principle is that "if you look smart, you play smart" [4]. Umbro's mission, as the company describes it, centres on the players and the fans: "Wear with pride. Play with passion... This is Our Game."

Umbro established itself early in British football. By 1934, both teams in the FA Cup Final — Manchester City and Portsmouth — wore its kit, and in 1955 the company introduced the first replica football kit made for supporters rather than players. Its highest-profile moment came in 1966, when England won the World Cup in Umbro kits; the company states that most of the tournament's teams wore its manufacture that year [3]. In 1992 it launched the Speciali football boot, which became one of its signature products.

The double-diamond logo has run across jerseys, shorts, boots, shin pads and goalkeeper gloves for football, rugby and futsal throughout the brand's history.

Umbro was acquired by Nike in 2007 for £285 million [3]. Nike sold it to Iconix Brand Group in 2012 for US$225 million, and Iconix has held the trademark since [3]. Iconix does not manufacture directly; it licenses the Umbro name to operating partners across product categories, which is how the fragrance and grooming range exists as a separately licensed line. Trade press reported in 2025 that Umbro had secured new licensees — Isaac Morris for apparel, BBC International for footwear and Jayva Brands for custom team uniforms — ahead of a 2026 relaunch across the United States and Canada [5].

Umbro positions itself around the heritage of football and rugby. The company says its design is "never just about the look" and that every element is applied for a reason, drawing on decades of experience in the game. Its stated audience runs "from pro to grass roots players, from fans to those inspired by the cultures surrounding the sports" [4]. Alongside its performance range, the brand has run collaborations with fashion labels and designers, and has described itself as available in more than 120 countries [4]; Wikipedia records its reach as over 100 countries [3].

The apparel business spans teamwear, training kit, football boots, socks, underwear and lifestyle footwear. The licensed fragrance and grooming line, which is the reason Umbro is listed as a beauty brand, includes eau de toilette and deodorant body sprays under names such as Ice, Energy, Power and Action, with women's fragrances including Tempo and Defiant and a men's Heritage variant. Umbro Energy, an eau de toilette, was launched in 2004. The company that manufactures or licenses this fragrance range is not identified in any publicly accessible source, which is common for licensed sports and celebrity fragrances.

Umbro is active. It celebrated its 100-year anniversary in 2024 and, in trade coverage the following year, announced a 2026 relaunch built on new category licensees for the North American market [5]. Its most recent publicly recorded activity is that relaunch announcement.