Ramping up their iconic crest and identity, adidas and Orlando Pirates have partnered with South African fashion designer Thebe Magugu for the club’s 23/24 home and away shirts.
Taking a leaf out of the Liga MX book of exaggerated shirt design, South African side Orlando Pirates have unveiled their new home and away kits for 23/24 from adidas, and they’ve been produced in collaboration with South African fashion designer Thebe Magugu, marking the latest marriage of performance sportswear and streetwear. Both the home and away jerseys feature the Orlando Pirates skull and crossbones blown up to dominate the designs.
Both the Home jersey (Black) and Away jersey (Pistachio Green) feature the iconic piratical logo, which Magugu included as he wanted to add a confrontational and intimidating edge that communicated power without saying a word. Further than just the sheer size of the logo though, it has also been reimagined to incorporate a captivating maze pattern.
“I felt like it was important to hear the Orlando Pirates story before I began designing,” explained Magugu. “A tale of perseverance, fighting against the odds to become one of the most recognised figureheads in global sports. This idea of persistence is why I decided to treat the iconic skull logo as a maze. To symbolise the long and winding journey the team has travelled to land them here."
The jerseys round off with a Thebe Magugu back-neck sign-off and a unique raised crest. The shorts then continue the bone and maze motif, referencing the thigh bone, making the whole kit look almost like an internal X-Ray.
"A football jersey stands as a powerful emblem of pride and togetherness, binding Buccaneers from diverse backgrounds into a unified force. As we set forth on a new football season, that includes the CAF Champions League, we carry Thebe Magugu's exceptional creation on our shoulders, a true testament to our proudly South African identity and unity,” said Thandi Merafe, Media and PR Manager at Orlando Pirates.
The Orlando Pirates x Thebe Magugu 23/24 jerseys will be available to purchase on 27 July at adidas.co.za/pirates
