All Blacks Jersey

In 1893, just over nine years after that first international match, the first official All Blacks jersey appeared – and it was indeed black.

The New Zealand Native team, comprising mostly Māori players, had also worn black on tour in Great Britain and Australia a few years earlier in 1888-1889.

Perhaps it was because black was the easiest colour to get 25 jerseys in – or maybe it was simply because it wouldn’t show the dirt after multiple games.

Records show the All Blacks’ Captain, Thomas Rangiwahia Ellison (who also played in The Natives), proposed to the New Zealand Rugby Football Union in 1893 that the team’s uniform be a “black jersey with silver fernleaf, black cap with silver monogram, white knickerbockers and black stockings”. 

More than 1,200 rugby players have proudly worn the silver fern icon since it first appeared on the breast of an All Blacks jersey, as have thousands of other New Zealand sporting heroes and the country’s armed forces.

To Māori, the elegant shape of the silver fern – ponga in te reo – stands for strength, resistance and enduring power.

Ferns are not unique to Aotearoa, but when British colonists arrived in the 1800s, they were in awe of the breadth of species found growing across the land. The silver fern – a species found only in New Zealand – became something of a marketing symbol for the fledgling country at the bottom of the world.

Speaking to the media in 2014, former All Blacks Captain Richie McCaw (2001-2015) touched on one of the biggest evolutions of the jersey in the past few decades – it’s size.

“I’ve got my very first jersey hanging on the wall [at home] and it’s about three times the size of them now.”

The jersey worn by The Originals, who toured Britain, France and the United States in 1905, was actually relatively fitted compared to those that followed.

Among the jerseys provided to The Invincibles in 1924 was a baggy, scratchy woolen garment more akin to farmer’s workwear.

Adidas brought in the high-tech and lightweight fitted synthetic jerseys worn by players today.

Adidas revealed a massive reinvention of the All Blacks jersey in 2015, with regards to fit, fabric and a modernised aesthetic. The striking jersey formed part of ‘the blackest kit of all time’ and featured two-way stretch carbon weave technology, with a streamlined silhouette. The uniform also featured shorts made using jersey fabric for the first time ever.

Much like the 2015 jersey, the 2017 one was designed to be like a “second skin”, which replicated the movements of players’ skin. Based on player feedback, adidas introduced a new four-way stretch ‘Triax Digital Weave’ fabric for additional strength and even better freedom of movement. It also integrated ‘chassis technology’ within the jerseys to enhance player posture.

After two more years in the lab, adidas introduced a game-changing seamless woven jersey in 2019, with an ergonomic pattern that perfectly contours to each player’s physique for an unbeatable fit. No seam means no weak points and the jersey is 25% lighter than previous designs, allowing for increased player speed and acceleration.