Han-Noah Massengo Shot The Augsburg Away-Kit Campaign
Footballers are usually the face of a kit campaign. They put on the shirt, stand in front of the camera and leave the creative direction to someone else. Han-Noah Massengo did things differently. For the FC Augsburg 2026/27 away-kit launch, the midfielder stepped behind the camera and took control of the campaign himself. From the photography to the overall visual direction, Massengo helped shape how the new shirt would be presented, turning a standard kit release into something far more personal.
From Player to Photographer
Massengo’s involvement in the Augsburg away-kit campaign did not come out of nowhere. Throughout the 2025/26 season, he had been documenting life inside FC Augsburg with his camera, capturing the moments around professional football that supporters rarely get to see. That work eventually became a photography project titled “Anyone knows how to say behind the scenes in German?”, which was turned into both an exhibition in Augsburg and a 156-page photo book featuring images taken entirely by Massengo.
The away-kit campaign became the natural next step. Rather than simply asking Massengo to take a few photographs, Augsburg gave him a much broader creative role. He helped determine the models, accessories, imagery and overall look of the shoot, effectively allowing one of their own players to interpret the club visually from his perspective.
A Shirt Inspired by Augsburg
The shirt itself gave him plenty to work with. Created with Mizuno, the Augsburg 2026/27 away-kit arrives in a deep petrol green and is inspired by the city’s historic water-management system, which has been recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. A full-shirt pattern is designed to capture the movement and depth of water, while gold details across the crest, sponsor and supplier logos reference sunlight reflecting on the city’s rivers.
Even the campaign concept follows the same idea. Under the theme “Where water flows, new perspectives emerge”, the club connected the shirt’s inspiration with Massengo’s role behind the camera, quite literally presenting Augsburg from a different perspective.
More Than a Kit Model
That is what makes the project interesting beyond the shirt itself. Footballers have become increasingly involved in fashion, music, photography and creative industries away from the pitch, but club campaigns still tend to position them primarily as talent. They wear what they are given, stand where they are told and become the final element in somebody else’s creative concept.
Augsburg handed Massengo considerably more ownership. His photographs are shaped by someone who actually knows what life inside a professional dressing room looks like. He knows the people he is photographing, understands the rhythms around the club and has access to moments that would be difficult for an outside photographer to recreate authentically.
Footballers as Creatives
Massengo’s project also reflects a wider change in how players want to express themselves. Being a professional footballer no longer necessarily means keeping every other interest separate from the game. Players increasingly use their platform to explore fashion, design, music, photography and business, while clubs are beginning to recognise that those interests can add something to their own identity as well.
For Augsburg, the result is a campaign that could only really have been made from within the club. Massengo is still the midfielder supporters watch on the weekend. But for one of Augsburg’s biggest visual releases of the season, he was not the player standing in front of the camera. He was the person deciding what everyone else would see.
Images in this article are sourced from publicly available social media and online platforms. If you are a rights holder and wish to request removal, please contact us.
Ready for more?
If you want to read more on this season’s kits, check out our article on the 5 best kits of the 2026/27 season.
From creative expressions to cultural heritage inspired by football, explore more stories in Art & Culture.
Want to stay updated with Life After Football exclusive content, behind-the-scenes stories, and lifestyle from beyond the pitch? Subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on Instagram!
