Fashion Design In Sports: What is the (Sponsor) World Coming to in the NBA?

Duane .A Covington

With the unveiling of the new Charlotte Hornets Uniforms for the 2015 season and beyond. What is the pizzazz of the new outfits and fan gear that has the social media buzzing?

Lets look at it from two angles. One side we will get into it with a view of what makes them new and fresh and on the other hand, we will look at them with a ‘get off my lawn’ eye. Here are the uniforms of the Charlotte ball club from the beginning to the future and yes; you see there are no long sleeves in this mix. They did however take the NBA logo and put it on the back of the uniform. This is the first basketball uniform that displays the logo on the back in similarity of the Major Leagues. This is in support of the fashion of displaying sponsors in the future.

Nike is the company and Team Jordan is the designer. “Like the overall brand identity, the uniforms were designed in collaboration with senior executives within the Hornets organization; Jordan Brand, a division of Nike; and the NBA’s Global Merchandising Group. Both Jordan Brand and Nike have a long history of working with professional teams and universities in developing brand identities and utilize some of the world’s most highly recognized designers.” (NBA.com/Hornets)

The new lightweight construction of the uniforms help to bring in new ideas and landscapes for the future of adding locations for sponsorship logos. This also ushers in a more creative forward thinking of how to individualize more with designs more than ever before. The WNBA has been doing it for a while. Is it time for the big brother to finally do the same? Adam Silver, the NBA’s new commissioner say’s it is inevitable.

You can take the poll @ http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2014/06/19/4989171/poll-do-you-like-the-new-charlotte.html#.U6ciVKhRlWS and see what America is saying about the new threads.