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How the new Seahawks uniforms came to be | Seattle Seahawks & NFL News on Astini News
Posted on Monday, April 30, 2012 by astini
In a sport such as football, where tradition is as important as modernization, it's no wonder Seahawks fans are mixed on the team's new Nike uniforms.
On the one hand, the Seahawks returned to a more classic look with the incorporation of gray in the updated logo. Gone is the lighter "Seahawks blue" that debuted 10 years ago, when Seattle last got an image overhaul. And most Seahawks fans were relieved that Nike's new Seahawks uniforms, unveiled Tuesday, did not use lime green as a base color.
On the other hand, the new uniforms are far more contemporary than the old ones. Especially compared to the rest of the NFL teams, the Seahawks got a more modern look, comparable to the edgy designs Nike has developed for college teams like Oregon.
But whether it's obvious or not, tradition was the core inspiration for the new Seahawks uniforms. As Clare Farnsworth wrote Tuesday for Seahawks.com, it was the spirit of the Pacific Northwest — specifically, Native American art and totems — that influenced Nike's global creative director, Todd Van Horne, when he started designing the new unis two years ago.
"That's our inspiration," Van Horne told Seahawks.com. "Living in the Northwest, you see a lot of that native style. So we just thought the most powerful image of that are the totems, and the most treasured of those totems is typically the thunderbird totem.
"Thunderbird. Seahawks. You have that obvious relationship. It's the symbol of supernatural power and strength. So we thought this is a great inspiration. Let's bring that into the design."
One significant design element of the new Seahawks jerseys is the feather pattern that shows up in many places. The design, inspired by coastal Indian art, shows up as texturing for the numbers and helmet, and as stripes on the pants and neckline.
But those stripes have another meaning, one with roots in a more recent Seahawks tradition. On the pants and on the neckline, the stripes are each composed of 12 feathers, representing the 12th Man.
"They are feathers for that exact same reason: that Northwest style," Van Horne told Farnsworth. "It's collaborative. (The Seahawks) said, 'Here are the stories we'd like to tell.' For the Seahawks, it was the 12th Man and honoring their fans. They love that relationship and they described it. And we just said, 'Wow, let's do something with this. We can add some subtle coding and nuance to that 12th Man that make the fan feel part of it.'"
You can read much more about Van Horne and Nike's uniform design at Seahawks.com. Below are some photo galleries of the new Seahawks uniforms and helmets, and of Seattle's uniforms through the ages.
What do you think of the new Seahawks uniforms? Vote in our poll below.
New Seahawks uniforms
If no text is displayed, click 'Show Caption' in the bottom-right corner.
Marshawn Lynch shows of the Seahawks' new blue home uniform, unveiled Tuesday by Nike. (Seahawks image)
The new home uniform. (Seahawks image)
The new home uniform. (Seahawks image)
The new home uniform. (Seahawks image)
The new home uniform. (Seahawks image)
The new home uniform. (Seahawks image)
The new home uniform. (Seahawks image)
Marshawn Lynch shows off the Seahawks' new white away uniform. (Seahawks image)
The new away uniform. (Seahawks image)
The new away uniform. (Seahawks image)
The new away uniform. (Seahawks image)
The new away uniform. (Seahawks image)
The new away uniform. (Seahawks image)
Marshawn Lynch shows off the Seahawks' new gray alternate uniform. The color is called "wolf gray." (Seahawks image)
The new gray alternate uniform. (Seahawks image)
The new gray alternate uniform. (Seahawks image)
The new gray alternate uniform. (Seahawks image)
The new gray alternate uniform. (Seahawks image)
The new gray alternate uniform. (Seahawks image)
A blue jersey, white pants combo. (Seahawks image)
A white jersey, blue pants combo. (Seahawks image)
A blue jersey, gray pants combo. (Seahawks image)
A gray jersey, blue pants combo. (Seahawks image)
A white jersey, gray pants combo. (Seahawks image)
A gray jersey, white pants combo. (Seahawks image)
The new Nike gloves show the refreshed Seahawks logo with the lower bar gray instead of light blue. (Seahawks image)
Another view of the gloves. (Seahawks image)
Another view of the gloves. (Seahawks image)
New Seahawks helmet
If no text is displayed, click 'Show Caption' in the bottom-right corner.
A view of the new Seahawks helmet, featuring the updated logo. (Seahawks image)
A view of the new Seahawks helmet, featuring the updated logo. (Seahawks image)
A view of the new Seahawks helmet, featuring the updated logo. (Seahawks image)
A view of the new Seahawks helmet, featuring the updated logo. (Seahawks image)
A view of the new Seahawks helmet, featuring the updated logo. (Seahawks image)
A view of the new Seahawks helmet, featuring the updated logo. (Seahawks image)
A view of the new Seahawks helmet, featuring the updated logo. (Seahawks image)
Visit seattlepi.com for more Seattle news. Contact Nick Eaton at nickeaton@seattlepi.com or on Twitter as @njeaton.
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