West Ham United have teamed up with legendary East End band Iron Maiden to launch a unique collaborative kit.
Fans can show their love for both east London institutions with the special kit, which is available to buy from officialwesthamstore.com now.
The collaboration - Die With Your Boots On - is named after the 1983 song of the same name and is driven by die-hard West Ham fan, and founder member of the band, Steve Harris,
Harris has been flying the flag for West Ham on stage for decades, with his bass guitar even featuring the Club’s iconic logo.
His love for the Hammers goes back to 1965, as he recollects: “I went to see West Ham play against Newcastle when I was nine and my mate was ten. We jumped on a bus and went to the game, and they won 4-3 and that was it. I was hooked!”
Many Maiden fans around the world have embraced Harris’ passion for West Ham and taken up support for the Club themselves, often appearing at concerts in Hammers apparel.
Steve added: “When I’m up there playing and I see fans in the audience wearing West Ham stuff it gives me goosebumps.”
Tracey Stratton, Licensing Manager at West Ham, was aware of the phenomenon: “One weekend last summer our Club shop was inundated with rock fans from all across the globe, and we realised that Iron Maiden were playing two sold out shows at the O2. It makes perfect sense to launch this collaboration, and with Steve’s passion for it and attention to detail it has been amazing.”
Harris is very proud of the tie up with West Ham and was deeply involved in the design process, commenting: “I think it’s brilliant. I really love that version and colour of the crest, and that old classic kind of kit. It’s a modern shape but with a retro design, and I like that. Up the Irons!”
Pablo Zabaleta, who launched the special kit alongside Harris, added: “Iron Maiden are a huge icon back home in South America and it’s great for fans of West Ham and the band to be able to show their support for both!”