Black Ferns kit, jersey

item details

NameBlack Ferns kit, jersey

Productionadidas AG; designer; circa 2021; China

Classificationuniforms, sports clothing

Materialspolyester

DimensionsOverall: 520mm (width), 775mm (length)

Registration NumberGH018672/1

Credit lineGift of New Zealand Rugby, 2024

Overview

This is an example of the kit worn by the Black Ferns during the Rugby World Cup 2021, although this particular set was never used.

Rugby World Cup 2021
The 2021 World Cup was held in Auckland and Whangārei from 8 October to 12 November 2022 (delayed for one year because of the Covid-19 pandemic). It was the ninth women’s Rugby World Cup competition and the first to be played in the Southern Hemisphere. A new precedent was set in marketing the tournament, as it was called the Rugby World Cup with no gender designation – an effort by World Rugby to create greater parity across the men’s and women’s games.

The Black Ferns won the World Cup in front of a sold-out crowd at Eden Park. It was their sixth win, with World Cup titles in 1998, 2002, 2006, 2010 and 2017.

Black Ferns' kit
The Black Ferns World Cup 2021 playing kit was produced by adidas and was the first bespoke kit ever designed specifically for the Black Ferns. Until the 2021 World Cup they wore ‘standard’ rugby jerseys and shorts designed for men, which never fitted the players very well. Members of the team took part in body-mapping and materials testing, and gave feedback on what they wanted in the jersey.

The jersey has a large, debossed fern graphic on the front and back, celebrating the heritage of the team. It features a yarn that consists of at least 50% plastic waste – an effort to reduce plastic waste – while the other 50% of the yarn is recycled polyester. The jersey also includes a moisture-wicking material known as adidas AEROREADY.

References

--. 2020. ‘RWC 2021 set to break new ground as tournament dates are announced’. Rugby World Cup website, 3 February.
---. 2022. ‘2021 Rugby World Cup.’ Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia, updated 23 November.
---. 2022. ‘Adidas launches Black Ferns’ Rugby World Cup Jersey’, All Blacks website, 2 September.
---. n.d. ‘Black Ferns.’ Team Profile, All Blacks website.
George, Zoe. 2021. ‘Black Ferns women get their own rugby jersey, 30 years after taking to the field’. Stuff, 6 August.