Liverpool FC 90's kit launch

Overview

For the 2026 season, Liverpool FC released a new home kit inspired by the iconic 1990 Candy kit. For the launch, we worked with LFC, TMC’s creative team and adidas to lead the VFX and AI pipeline, bringing Liverpool legends Bruce Grobbelaar, Alan Hansen, John Barnes and Ian Rush together with the current squad in the classic kit. With the legends’ consent, we used pre-approved photography to train custom AI LoRAs entirely within our secure local infrastructure; no likeness data was submitted to third-party AI services. To retain that control, we developed custom ComfyUI workflows, integrating the resulting AI outputs into a conventional VFX compositing pipeline. The work was not intended to convince audiences that the appearances were real. Instead, the tools enabled playful, clearly stylised portrayals of the legends alongside the current squad. This was a VFX-led project, pushing the limits of AI while integrating the results carefully into our composites. We created hundreds of head variations to achieve convincing likenesses from low-quality 1990s reference material — it was far from a one-click solution. As part of the R&D process, we documented the full workflow and its learnings to inform future AI-assisted VFX integrations. The project remained firmly human-led, enhancing talents of the DOP, photographer, actors, VFX artists and creative team. AI was used to extend the possibilities of that on-set production, not replace the people behind it.