Shutterstock
In Celebration of Black History Month, adidas unveiled a new line of NCAA uniforms commemorating the historic month and being inspired by the creativity, passion, and expression of the early 20th century’s Harlem Rennaissance, via a press release from adidas.
Throughout this month, all Power 5 conference teams sponsored by adidas will be donning exclusive head-to-toe uniforms inspired by the Harlem Ballrooms of that era, and the schools of Arizona State, Rutgers, NC State, University of Miami, Mississippi State, Louisville, Kansas, Indiana, Nebraska, and Texas A&M will all honor these beneficial times in black history with these new get-ups when they debut on Saturday, Feb. 2.
Widely considered to be one of the most significant times in African-American history, and perhaps culturally fluorescent eras in human history, the Harlem Rennaissance was a creative movement that kindled a cultural identity. The Rennaissance was pivotal to the advancement of basketball culture, as local teams in the New York area practiced their games and perfected their craft by playing on the exact same wooden floors that were used for ballroom events and dance expositions. The spirits powering sport and dance intertwined, creating an inseparable combination between sports, music, and black culture.
Paul Lukas of Uni-Watch recently tweeted out a picture to show the public just what the new uniforms will look like.
Adidas unveils new college hoops uniforms for Black History Month. More info here: https://t.co/VD1uCk1GSP pic.twitter.com/uAgFiEBt1s
— Paul Lukas (@UniWatch) February 1, 2019
The jersey’s designs are inspired by the pattern of the ballroom floors that birthed the very game adored by millions across the globe, as these patterns mimic the fabrics and prints of the 1920s that became a means of individuality, community pride, and self-expression. The word “BALLROOM” is stitched into the inner waistband, and a “Celebrating Black Culture” patch. Footwear is also part of the uniform, and corresponding footwear silhouettes will echo the colors of the jazz ballrooms so quintessential to the Renaissance era. Each finite detail will pay homage to the art, poetry, and sounds of this time in Black history, and to those driving their passions forward.”
“At adidas, we created the ‘Celebrate Black Culture’ program as a way of honoring our past throughout Black History Month, but also across the entire calendar year,” said Adam Lasitas, Senior Director for Adidas Basketball in North America. “We firmly believe that through sport, we have the power to change lives, and we’re humbled to be able to celebrate these historical sports moments through the new Harlem Rennaissance collection, and cannot wait to see each team wear these on-court.”
Both Men’s and Women’s teams from each partner school will be wearing these iconic commemorative uniforms for their respective universities throughout the month of February. The jerseys will be on sale to adidas fans on adidas.com on February 5.
