Black
Is Back!!!!! – adidas, the leading global football brand, earlier today
revealed the new Orlando Pirates Home and Away kits for the forthcoming 2013/14
season.
Last
season the Club opted for a white home jersey as a celebration of some of the
great Orlando Pirates team kits of yesteryear but for 2013/14 the Club has
returned to full black for their home strip, with some exciting new design
features.
“We
are proud to once again support Orlando Pirates this season as we continue our
strong relationship with this legendary club,” commented Gugu Ntuli, PR Manager
at adidas South Africa. “Our designers have created what we believe will be an
iconic jersey, as it further entrenches a strong emotional connection with the
colour black and stimulates a pride in the jersey and the Club itself with the
fans,” added Ntuli.
Other than returning to a full black strip, the jersey has also taken on a few new design elements such as V-shaped neck detail done in red piping and silver treatment of the illustrious adidas 3 stripes on both the shoulders and shorts as well as player names and numbers, moving away from the traditional white – a first for Pirates. While the away jersey remains red due to the great success and identity that has been created in this variation over the past couple of years, the away jersey will also include the same design elements used on the home jersey.
Other than returning to a full black strip, the jersey has also taken on a few new design elements such as V-shaped neck detail done in red piping and silver treatment of the illustrious adidas 3 stripes on both the shoulders and shorts as well as player names and numbers, moving away from the traditional white – a first for Pirates. While the away jersey remains red due to the great success and identity that has been created in this variation over the past couple of years, the away jersey will also include the same design elements used on the home jersey.
Accompanying
the launch of the new Home jersey has been the Black is Back campaign, which
was introduced during teaser video stage and will be continued well into the
2013/14 season. “adidas worked closely with the Club to introduce the kit in a
stimulating and fresh visual way, utilising strong and starkly contrasting
campaign imagery to play up the heritage of the colour and it’s symbolism to
the fans,” stated Lauren Haakman, adidas South Africa Brand Manager.
Mickey
Modisane, PRO at Orlando Pirates Football Club, added: “We are excited to
return to black. We also wanted to involve the Club’s most ardent supporters in
the campaign because we recognise the role of our supporters in the success of
our Club. ‘Black is Back’ is a strong statement and we chose the phrase
Ezimnyama Ngenkani to accompany it, as it perfectly describes the Club and its
supporters – black and proud.”
Technology
The
kit features the latest adidas technologies to ensure that it not only evokes
pride in the jersey but gives Orlando Pirates an edge on the pitch:
·
TechFit™ - Designed to help
improve speed, endurance and awareness, TechFit stabilises muscles and focuses
energy. This helps players to generate explosive acceleration and deliver
maximum power output.
·
ClimaCool™ - adidas ClimaCool
technology provides a mixture of heat and moisture controlling materials,
ventilation channels and 3D fabrics to improve air flow to the skin in key heat
zones meaning that when the body heats up during exercise, for instance,
ClimaCool ensures that the athlete remains cool.
The
new home and away kit is now available at adidas Performance stores as well as
many sports retailers countrywide at a recommended retail price of R649.
Orlando
Pirates will play in the jersey for the first time during the CAF Champions
League game against AC Leopards of Congo at the Orlando Stadium on the 20th
July 2013. However, due to tournament rules the jersey will be without the
Vodacom logo on the front.
