Note: To see all pictures of the new Hornets kits, click on the gallery at the bottom of this page.
Charlotte Hornets fans have been loving teal pinstripes since 1988. The team has listened and learned.
Next season’s main kits will be white jerseys with teal pinstripes and teal jerseys with white stripes, the Hornets announced Monday. They won’t be direct replicas of Alexander Julian’s iconic design, but they’re close.
The new look will be available to fans for retail purchase on October 1st.
When the Bobcats renamed the Hornets name and appearance in the spring of 2014, they adopted the original teal and purple color scheme. However, the uniforms were dissimilar to Julian’s pinstripe and pleated look, which thus contributed to the expansion team’s popularity in the early 1990s. They were teal as the dominant color, but had wider stripes along the side of the shirts.
The Hornets wore replicas of the original uniforms for a handful of games each of the past three seasons, and once again that uniform was very popular. So, this new design owes a lot to that look.
“We really listened to feedback from our fans, many of them through social media,” said Seth Bennett, Hornets Senior Vice President of Consumer Engagement. “While we were unveiling some of the uniforms, we paid attention to the feedback and comments we were receiving. And some of the polls we used to see the popularity of various uniforms.
“We certainly used it to inform the trial.”
Under NBA rules, Bennett said, the Hornets couldn’t change the look of their primary uniforms for at least five years.
The Hornets will wear the new pinstripe uniforms almost every game next season. There will be two other kits available: the purple ones with “CHA” stamped on the chest and an updated version of the “city edition”, which will be revealed later. More recently, that “city edition” was a gray uniform with “CHA” on the chest.
Hornets rebranding was a success: Bennett said the Hornets have been in the top half of the NBA in merchandise sales consistently since switching from Bobcats to Hornets
The original classic uniforms, worn by the likes of Larry Johnson, Dell Curry and Muggsy Bogues, will now only be available to celebrate anniversaries. Bennett said: “It will take a few seasons before we see those classic jerseys again.”
Bennett said the uniform redesign process began three years ago. The Hornets worked with Rare Design, a Mississippi company, and Jordan Brand, the Nike division named for Hornets owner Michael Jordan, on the look and fabrication of the new uniforms.
Bennett said the new uniforms are intentionally “simplified” – a clean and simple look that still ties into the original look. For example, pinstripes are only teal in the new uniforms. In the originals there were teal, purple and dark green pinstripes, along with pleats.
No home / outside
The NBA no longer designates white or light-colored kits for the home team. The home team has the option of choosing a kit for each match, with the street team wearing a contrasting look.
Since then, white or light-colored jerseys are called “Association” editions and contrasting colored jerseys are called “Icon” editions. Each NBA team has up to three additional alternate jerseys that they can wear on a limited basis each season.
When Nike replaced Adidas as the creator of the NBA kits in 2015, the Hornets were allowed to place the “Jumpman” logo on the Hornets’ kits, the only one of the 30 franchises with a “Jumpman” rather than a “Swoosh”.
Next season, all “Statement Edition” kits – alternatives for each team for key pairings – will include the “Jumpman” logos.
Delay in disclosure
The Hornets had originally planned to unveil these uniforms last Thursday. When players in Florida’s resumption of the season chose not to play, in a statement of social justice, the Hornets delayed the presentation until Monday.
“As things have evolved over the past week, it was very obvious to us that this was not the right time to celebrate these uniforms,” said Bennett.
“We as an organization wanted to take the time to make sure that the conversation was really focused on what it needed to be in the moment. Very intentional of us. “
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