Adidas and New Zealand Rugby have revealed the All Blacks new strip for the Rugby World Cup.
The three time world champions have enlisted Fey The Wolf to design the kit. Fey The Wolf is an emerging Parisian-based street-style designer, who is known for a distinctive and imaginative use of the color black and the results are a unique take on the iconic kit.
Collaboratingwith the players, Fey The Wolf and the adidas creative team produced a kit that is "centred around the significance of the New Zealand silver fern". The fern holds a deep cultural meaning to all New Zealanders and the Māori community and is known as a symbol of strength, resilience, and enduring power.
READ MORE: Wales announce new main sponsor as latest rugby kit to be released
The subtle detail at the heart of the jersey is an emblem made up of 14 differently sized ferns, which signify the "diversity and differing experience of the current squad." Fey The Wolf spoke about what an honour it was to be given the keys to the shirt design, they said: “There is no more iconic jersey in sport, so it was an incredible privilege to be entrusted with reimagining it for this moment. Central to my approach was to encapsulate what the fern means to New Zealanders of all backgrounds."
Printed across the replica and on-pitch jerseys, the fern’s outline has been created via a single continuous stroke, which is a "nod to the understanding that players never own the jersey". It means that those representing the All Blacks protect the shirt and then pass it along to the next generation of players.
Aaron Smith, Scrum Half for the All Blacks said: “This is a massive year for us as we travel to France seeking our fourth Rugby World Cup title, in what is, arguably, the most fiercely contested tournament in living memory. The jersey is so important, not only to us as players, but to all New Zealanders around the world."
The Rugby World Cup gets underway in France from September 8 and the new All Blacks' shirt is available to buy here.
