The name says New York. The sponsor's story takes you to Italy.
Brooklyn chewing gum came from the Perfetti business, and the bridge on the packaging was a reference to the brand's American inspiration. When that identity moved into cycling, it produced a shirt that can still confuse a casual viewer: an Italian-sponsored team with unmistakably American imagery.[1]
It's a useful reminder to read the sponsor before assigning a jersey its nationality.
A bridge on a pack of gum
Perfetti Van Melle's corporate history places Brooklyn among the early Italian-made chewing-gum brands. Its U.S. company history explicitly identifies New York's Brooklyn Bridge on the wrapper.[1]
The name and image were doing commercial work long before a modern rider bought a reproduction for its appearance. They gave the product an association people could recognize, even from across an ocean.
On a cycling jersey, the same elements became particularly effective. The large wordmark is easy to find. The red, white, and blue give it a strong frame. The bridge reference gives you something to ask about after the colors have caught your attention.
An Italian team with Belgian racing at its center
The Brooklyn cycling team is closely associated with Roger De Vlaeminck. The Belgian rider made the jersey a familiar presence in the hard one-day races, especially Paris–Roubaix.[2]
His connection to Roubaix is substantial enough without adding folklore. The race organizer records four victories, explaining the enduring “Monsieur Paris–Roubaix” nickname.[3]
For the jersey, this creates an interesting set of overlapping identities. The sponsor was Italian. The branding looked toward America. The rider many fans remember first was Belgian, racing on French cobblestones.
Cycling history often works like that. A team's shirt is a meeting place for businesses, nationalities, and racing cultures rather than a simple national flag.
Look closely at what is actually printed
Brooklyn reproductions vary in their treatment of the sponsor graphics, bands, sleeves, and other details. Some emphasize the American reference more strongly than others.
If you want a specific historical look, compare the shirt with a dated team photograph. A broad red-white-and-blue palette doesn't establish an exact season, and a product name containing “American” doesn't establish the team's registration or sponsor origin.
If you're choosing on appearance, you can take a simpler approach. Decide whether you like the balance of the colors and the size of the wordmark. Look at the back too; the front photograph rarely tells you everything about a jersey you'll see on the road.
Why the Classics association matters
The connection to De Vlaeminck gives the design a different character from a shirt chiefly associated with a Tour winner. It brings to mind a season of individual one-day races, with each finish deciding the result rather than contributing to three weeks of accumulated time.
That isn't a claim that one kind of racing is harder or more authentic. It is a different way to understand what a jersey represents. A fan drawn to those races may prefer Brooklyn for exactly that reason.
It also provides a natural companion to a Molteni jersey. Merckx and De Vlaeminck appear in the same racing era, but their team colors remain sharply different. Looking at the shirts together makes old rivalry photographs easier to read.
The design works beyond the reference
You can like this jersey without having a favorite edition of Paris–Roubaix. The lettering has enough scale to work as a graphic; the colors remain clear when paired with plain black shorts.
A full matching outfit makes a stronger historical reference. A jersey on its own leaves more room for your everyday riding clothes. Neither requires a period bicycle or a particular pace.
The history is available when someone asks about the name. You can start with the simple answer: the Brooklyn on this shirt was an Italian chewing-gum brand. The rider on the old photograph may well have been Belgian.
Browse Retrolica's Brooklyn collection and compare the graphics on the available versions.
Sources
1. Perfetti Van Melle — Our History and U.S. Company History. Italian sponsor origin and bridge packaging. Conflicting launch-year claims elsewhere are intentionally omitted.
2. Prendas — Brooklyn Chewing Gum Cycling Team. Team and De Vlaeminck association.
3. Paris–Roubaix — Roger De Vlaeminck. Official race record and nickname.