Before kickoff at their home games, the Seattle Sounders blare Jimi Hendrix's rendition of "All Along the Watch Tower" to fire up fans and players alike. Now, the Major League Soccer franchise will honour the music icon with a new uniform.
The team's newly unveiled "Jimi Hendrix Kit," modelled above by defender Yeimar Gómez Andrade, is "inspired by Hendrix's love of colour and psychedelic patterns" and will "recognize and celebrate the meaningful principles of peace, love and giving for which Hendrix stood."
The jersey's primary colour, a sure nod to the Seattle six-stringer's timeless "Purple Haze," is accented with bright orange and yellow in "a nod to Hendrix's affinity for vivid colours and patterns, highlighted on his album covers and through his personal style."
A reproduction of Hendrix's signature is stamped on the bottom left corner of each jersey front, while the neck features a line from his song "Straight Ahead" reproduced from his own handwritten copy of the song: "We got to stand, side by side,"
The jersey's right sleeve features the logo of the Puyallup Tribe, an original steward of land throughout what is known as the Puget Sound. You can see the Sounders roster try on the new kits below.
Proceeds up to $50,000 from the first 30 days of the Hendrix Kit's sales through the Sounders and MLS's online store will go to five local nonprofits: the Jimi Hendrix Park Foundation, the Museum of Pop Culture (MoPOP), the Northwest African American Museum (NAAM), RAVE Foundation and the Tacoma Public Schools Indian Education Program.
"Seattle was and always will be Jimi's home. The Sounders are Seattle's own, as well," said Janie Hendrix, President & CEO of Experience Hendrix, LLC. "Collaborating with the Sounders to create a jersey is our way of playing for the home team. We're celebrating two local heroes and at the same time supporting a cause that unifies. Jimi was all about honoring the place you come from. This venture allows us to give back to the community he loved. That's something I think would make Jimi proud."
The team's newly unveiled "Jimi Hendrix Kit," modelled above by defender Yeimar Gómez Andrade, is "inspired by Hendrix's love of colour and psychedelic patterns" and will "recognize and celebrate the meaningful principles of peace, love and giving for which Hendrix stood."
The jersey's primary colour, a sure nod to the Seattle six-stringer's timeless "Purple Haze," is accented with bright orange and yellow in "a nod to Hendrix's affinity for vivid colours and patterns, highlighted on his album covers and through his personal style."
A reproduction of Hendrix's signature is stamped on the bottom left corner of each jersey front, while the neck features a line from his song "Straight Ahead" reproduced from his own handwritten copy of the song: "We got to stand, side by side,"
The jersey's right sleeve features the logo of the Puyallup Tribe, an original steward of land throughout what is known as the Puget Sound. You can see the Sounders roster try on the new kits below.
Proceeds up to $50,000 from the first 30 days of the Hendrix Kit's sales through the Sounders and MLS's online store will go to five local nonprofits: the Jimi Hendrix Park Foundation, the Museum of Pop Culture (MoPOP), the Northwest African American Museum (NAAM), RAVE Foundation and the Tacoma Public Schools Indian Education Program.
"Seattle was and always will be Jimi's home. The Sounders are Seattle's own, as well," said Janie Hendrix, President & CEO of Experience Hendrix, LLC. "Collaborating with the Sounders to create a jersey is our way of playing for the home team. We're celebrating two local heroes and at the same time supporting a cause that unifies. Jimi was all about honoring the place you come from. This venture allows us to give back to the community he loved. That's something I think would make Jimi proud."
