For the 2019 Rugby World Cup, adidas and New Zealand Rugby pay homage to both Maori and Japanese cultures with the unveiling of its new All Blacks jersey designed by Y-3's legendary Japanese designer Yohji Yamamoto.
Yamamoto's says, “We wanted to create a jersey that brought together the Japanese and Maori cultures. The design bears hand-drawn koru and fern motifs in a celebration of Maori culture."
The innovative design on the All Blacks jersey features key technological elements including the use of seamless, woven technology. The jersey’s construction was fully automated which aims to provide an unparalleled fit, strength and speed, and is 25 percent lighter than previous designs.
As with previous Rugby World Cup jerseys, the RWC trophy is embossed on the right sleeve acknowledging the All Blacks’ Rugby World Cup successes in 1987, 2011 and 2015. The RWC2019 logo is on the right of the chest, which sees the adidas badge move to the center of the jersey.
The collaboration extends to the All Blacks training jersey as well. Focused on fusing Maori and Japanese design aesthetics, Y-3 team designed a mythical cat figure inspired from the Maori concept of kaitiaki (guardianship) and the Japanese fuko neko (lucky cat). The logo will adorn the back of the training jersey as well as on performance tees, performance singlets, polo shirt and hoodie.
The replica jersey, alongside the training collection, is available on the adidas website today, July 1. Take a closer look at the All Blacks jersey int he gallery above.
