Colors of Paris Saint-Germain F.C.

The Stade Saint-Germain club played mainly in white until 1970, when they merged with Paris FC. Paris Saint-Germain adopted the red and blue colors of Paris combined with the white of Saint-Germain. The first strip design of the fledgling PSG in 1970 was mainly solid red. The collar and ends of the sleeves were blue and white. Le Coq Sportif became PSG's first official equipment provider and manufactured the kits for the club until 1986, when Adidas took over. Fashion designer Daniel Hechter collaborated with the club to design an iconic shirt which would become a strong symbol of the club in May 1973. The shirt was blue with a red central vertical bar framed by white edgings. Since then, it has been the club home shirt, despite proposed implementations of new designs, with the main reason being the supporters' rejection. However, the tone and shade of the red and blue has changed over time, as has the dimension and alignment of the red central band. Nike took over supply duties in 1989, a very unusual partnership for a football club at the time due to the vast supremacy of Adidas and Le Coq Sportif, and they remain the equipment supplier to the present day.^[1]

Historical shirt

The Stade Saint-Germain club played mainly in white until 1970, when they merged with Paris FC. Paris Saint-Germain adopted the red and blue colors of Paris combined with the white of Saint-Germain. The first strip design of the fledgling PSG in 1970 was mainly solid red. The collar and ends of the sleeves were blue and white.^[2][3] The logo of the equipment supplier, Le Coq Sportif, was generally not displayed, depending on shirt, whereas the following season it was, a trend that continued in the future. In another change to the previous season, a solid blue trim with no white appeared, as the white shorts and blue socks remained. In May 1973, fashion designer Daniel Hechter collaborated with the club to design an iconic shirt which would become a strong symbol of the club. It was composed of a blue shirt with a red central vertical bar framed by white edgings.^[1] Legend has it that Hechter was so impressed by Ajax's eye-catching strip, he used it as the inspiration for PSG's kit, though he obviously changed the colour to match the French flag.^[4]

This shirt was first used between 1973 and 1974 in Division 2.^[5] The tone and shade of the red and blue has changed over time, as has the dimension and alignment of the red central band. This shirt is in use to the present day, despite proposed implementations of new designs, with the main reason being the supporters' rejection. On 18 October 1974, the RTL logo appeared as a sponsor in PSG's shirt for the first time. The fidelity between the capital club and the famous Luxembourgish radio lasted 17 years. During the 1974-75 season, a reversed version of the "Hechter" design, red with a blue central vertical bar, was used as the home shirt. PSG experimented again during the 1977-78 campaign. A white jersey became the home jersey and was widely used throughout the season. Meanwhile the third shirt was a reissue of the away jersey of the 1973-74 season. After 1975, Le Coq Sportif, PSG's first equipment supplier, stepped away and Adidas took over from 1975 to 1976 season, before a return to the first brand between 1976 and 1977. Pony was the supplier between 1977 and 1978, before another joint effort with Le Coq Sportif, from 1978 to 1986.^[1]

1970–73

1973–74

1974–75

1975–77

1977–78

1978–82

Lyon-like design

Francis Borelli succeeded Hechter, and was the first to try to replace the former design, with a predominantly white shirt decorated with two fine red and blue vertical bands.^[6] Initially the away shirt, the white design became the home shirt in 1982; Hechter's blue shirt becoming the away design. Borelli's white shirt was used, as the first kit, for the first time on 6 October 1981, in a match between PSG and US Valenciennes. The away shirt was mainly white before 1981, then again from 1993. Between 1982 and 1989, the club featured a white shirt with two red and blue vertical bands shifted to the left. This model, very close to the Olympique Lyonnais jersey supplanted the "Hechter" design, that was used as the away costume during this period. Adidas returned until 1989, at which point Nike took over supply duties, a very unusual partnership for a football club at the time due to the vast supremacy of Adidas and Le Coq Sportif, and they remain the equipment supplier to the present day. 1989 also marked the comeback of the embroidered club crest, abandoned in 1973, on the left of the shirt. In 1990, a stylized Eiffel Tower design replaced the vertical bars; this shirt remained in use for two seasons and represented the change between the Borelli and Canal + eras.^[1]

The 1992-93 season marked the end of collaboration with RTL. The popular radio station was already sharing its place on PSG's jersey with other sponsors since 1986. The variety of sponsors continued until the 1994-95 season when Opel became the shirt's only sponsor. Between 1992 and 1993, the club adopted a white shirt with blue shoulders. The white design was abandoned in 1993 in favour of a red and blue shirt, which was quickly replaced in 1994 with a return to Hechter's design. The 1993-94 campaign marked the return of the predominantly blue jersey. Canal+, the new major shareholder, decided to resume the "Hechter" design, while ensuring a makeover. The white borders along the red band disappeared in favor of small red stripes of unequal size. This shirt was called "the coverage" by the supporters. Under pressure from fans, home jersey returned in 1995 to the original "Hechter" design. The following season, the partnership with Opel as shirt sponsor began. PSG's third shirt without the sponsor below was used in the victorious Cup Winners' Cup final against Rapid Wien. During the 1998-99 season, the traditional "royal blue" was supplanted by a darker shade of blue. A season later, an unusual silver jersey was adopted for away matches. However, it was very popular between the fans.^[1]

1982–92

1992–93

1993–94

1994–00

Changes and controversy

Period	Kit manufacturer	Shirt sponsor
		Primary	Secondary	Tertiary
1970–73	Le Coq Sportif
1973-74		Canada Dry
1974-75		RTL
1975-76	Adidas
1976-77	Le Coq Sportif
1977-78	Pony
1978–86	Le Coq Sportif
1986–88	Adidas		Canal+
1988-89			La Cinq
1989-90	Nike		TDK
1990-91			Alain Afflelou
1991-92		Commodore	Müller
1992-93				Tourtel
1993-94		Amiga	Commodore
1994-95		SEAT	Liptonic
1995–02		Opel
2002–06		Thomson
2006–14		Fly Emirates

The collar design varied, but the colours remained identical until 2000, when the blue was replaced in favour of navy blue and the white edgings disappeared, causing the supporters' anger.^[7] The design was kept for three seasons. Between 1999 and 2000, a grey and white shirt were used as away shirt and third shirt, respectively. The fans called for a general boycott against the shirt that had very little to do with the "Hechter" design. After many gradual changes, the color of the shirt became dark blue, almost black, with a red band shifted to the side. The away shirt continued with its grey color that seemed to please the fans. A black shirt, used as the third kit, was specially designed and marketed for the first time, but was used by the team just once during PSG's defeat to Olympique de Marseille. Risking backlash from supporters, the club once again modified the shirt in 2001, reducing the width of the vertical red bar and moving the alignment from the centre to the left. In 2002, the white edgings made their reappearance around the red band which was still thinner and aligned to the left. The white shirt returned as the away kit, but with a red and blue band shifted to the left. Opel, meanwhile, left its place as shirt sponsor to Thomson.^[1]

Although promised by the club, the red central band didn't appeared during the 2004-05 season. The reversed version of the "Hechter" design, red with a blue central vertical bar returned, but as the away shirt. The delivery of the new shirts suffered a delay due to a conflict with the sponsor. Thomson required the red band to be interrupted in order to better reveal the sponsor. The delay occasioned by the litigation forced PSG to start the season with the third shirt, a predominantly white shirt with red shoulders. In 2005, the club returned to the 'historical' shirt. The red band was moved from left to center. Once again, Thomson demanded to cut the red band. A shirt with red and blue stripes on white background inspired by American baseball outfits was used as away shirt and third shirt between 2005 and 2007. In 2006, the red band was reduced in width again, but remained central. The blue color of the shirt became even more darker.^[1]

On 7 June 2006, Emirates Airlines strengthened its commitment to Paris Saint Germain by signing as major shirt sponsor for the next three years starting from the 2006-07 season.^[8] A "chocolate" color shirt was used as away shirt between 2006 and 2007. The shirt intended to represent the fashion and glamour of Paris with monograms à la Louis Vuitton that clearly embody the powerful symbols of the French capital. In 2007-2008, the shirt returned to a more traditional model and a wider red central band, but the shorts became red instead of the traditional blue. The white and red away shirt abandoned in 1999 also made its comeback. In 2008-09, the home shirt was, according to the original "Hechter" design, very similar and very simple. The gray shirt abandoned in 2002 returned and the red shorts were dropped.^[1] On 6 November 2008, Emirates, the international airline company based in Dubai, confirmed its commitment to Paris Saint-Germain by extending the current partnership until 2014.^[9]

2000–01

2001–02

2002–04

2004–05

2005–06

2006-07

2007–08

2008-09

New designs

For the 2009–10 season, Paris Saint-Germain introduced a new design which consisted of a navy top with red pinstripes. Although it had PSG's traditional home colours of Navy Blue, the shirt featured red pinstripes running down the shirt and sleeves, dropping the club's 'historical' shirt and, like in 2001, it caused some controversy amongst the fans that unanimously called for a boycott, because it strayed away from the more traditional blue shirt with a central red vertical stripe trimmed with white. The away shirt was mostly white and seemed like a polo shirt. The shirt featured a blue and red polka-dot pattern around the whole shirt. There was a red piping around the ends of the sleeves and collars.^[10]

The 2010-11 season marked Paris Saint-Germain's 40th Anniversary and the shirt commemorated it by reverting back to the club's original colours. The Stade Saint-Germain club played mainly in white until 1970, when they merged with Paris FC and combined the white of Saint-Germain-en-Laye with the red and blue colors of Paris. The shirts presented a special badge conmemorating Paris Saint-Germain's 40th Anniversary. A golden embroidery encircled the shield with the traditional dates 1970 and 2010. The home shirt was mainly solid red, the original colour of the club. Across the body there was a watermark that read ‘PSG 1970′. The v-neck collar and the sleeves ends were navy. The away shirt had Paris Saint-Germain's traditional colors and included graphic details directly inspired by the architecture of the Parc des Princes. It featured a navy blue base with a red vertical band in the middle and two thinner white zigzagging stripes around the band that recalled the architecture of the stadium's roof. The shirt featured a stylized red trimming around the sleeves ends, the bottom of the shirt and the v-neck collar. The chosen colors and their alternation (blue-white-red-white-blue) honored the club's original graphic codes and dropped Daniel Hechter's legendary model. The shirts had the club badge on the top-left, the Nike logo on the top-right and the club sponsor Fly Emirates written across the middle.^[11]

Nike wanted to go back in time with a version similar to the home shirt worn by Paris Saint-Germain in the early 1980s for the 2011–12 season.^[12] The home shirt had a navy blue base colour with a red vertical band on the middle and two thinner white stripes around the band. The short was navy blue and had a slight horizontal red stripe on the back. The socks were navy blue as well and had two horizontal red stripes traversing the turnovers. The shirt featured a round white collar, the PSG logo sat below the neck, the white Nike logo was on the centre of the chest and the Fly Emirates sponsor sat across the middle, also in white text.^[13] The chosen colors and their alternation (blue-white-red-white-blue) honored the club's original graphic codes, while the design of the shirt was loyal to Daniel Hechter's historical model.^[14] The away shirt was mostly white. It featured a broad red horizontal band running across the upper part of the shirt, flanked by two narrower dark blue bands. The short was plain white and had a slight horizontal red stripe on the back. The socks were white as well and had two horizontal red stripes traversing the turnovers. The away shirt had the PSG logo on the top-left, the Nike logo on the top-right and the club sponsor Fly Emirates written across the middle.^[15]

2009–10

2010–11

2011–12

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d e f g h} "Historique des Maillots". PSG70. http://psg70.free.fr/accueil.htm. Retrieved 29 September 2010. 
2. ^ Les guides de L'Équipe, Football 1969, p.129
3. ^ Paris Saint-Germain, N°2 de février 1971, photo officielle de l'effectif, p.16
4. ^ "Which players have English counties on their backs?". The Guardian. 14 March 2007. http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2007/mar/14/theknowledge.sport. Retrieved 4 October 2010. 
5. ^ France Football, N°1145 du 11 décembre 1973, p.16
6. ^ Le maillot blanc de Borelli est utilisé pour la première fois comme maillot principal lors du match PSG-Valenciennes du 6 octobre 1981. cf. programme de match PSG-Nantes du 27 octobre 1981, p.8
7. ^ Paris Foot, N°3 de novembre-décembre 2001, p.12 : « Décidément, les supporters du PSG n'ont pas digéré le nouveau maillot de leur équipe ! Dernière manifestation de mauvaise humeur en date, cette banderole affichée lors du match PSG-Lyon : Le maillot ne prend pas »
8. ^ "Emirates sign sponsorship deal with top French side". Gulf News. 7 June 2006. http://gulfnews.com/sport/football/emirates-sign-sponsorship-deal-with-top-french-side-1.239961. Retrieved 8 February 2010. 
9. ^ "Emirates sign on until 2014". PSG.fr. 6 November 2008. http://www.psg.fr/en/article/003001/article/43291/Emirates-sign-on-until-2014. Retrieved 17 February 2010. 
10. ^ "Paris Saint-Germain 09/10 Nike kits". Football Shirt Culture. 8 June 2009. http://www.footballshirtculture.com/09/10-kits/paris-saint-germain-2009-2010-nike-kits.html. Retrieved 21 June 2009. 
11. ^ "Paris Saint-Germain 10/11 Nike kits". PSG.fr. 29 June 2010. http://s.psg.fr/psg/file/201006/Final_10123-PSGnews-400x280.pdf. Retrieved 23 July 2010. 
12. ^ "Nouveau maillot domicile saison 2011-2012". Sportune.fr. 2 July 2011. http://www.sportune.fr/marketing/sponsoring/psg-nouveau-maillot-domicile-saison-2011-2012-30209. Retrieved 21 July 2011. 
13. ^ "Nike New Paris Saint Germain Home Football Shirt 2011-12". World Cup Jerseys. 17 July 2011. http://www.worldcupjerseys.co.uk/3035/nike-new-paris-saint-germain-home-football-shirt-2011-12/. Retrieved 21 July 2011. 
14. ^ "Le nouveau maillot Domicile 2011-2012 dévoilé". InfoPSG. 1 July 2011. http://www.infopsg.com/2011/07/01/psg-le-nouveau-maillot-domicile-2011-2012-devoile/. Retrieved 21 July 2011. 
15. ^ "Nouveau maillot extérieur 2011/2012". PSG.fr. 17 July 2011. http://www.psg.fr/fr/Saison/209001/Nouveau-maillot-exterieur-2011-2012. Retrieved 21 July 2011. 

External links

Official Websites

• (French) (English) PSG.fr
• (French) (English) Paris Saint-Germain at Ligue 1
• (French) (English) Paris Saint-Germain at UEFA

News Sites

• (French) Paris Saint-Germain News from Le Parisien
• (French) Paris Saint-Germain News from L'Equipe
• (English) Paris Saint-Germain News from Sky Sports
• (English) Paris Saint-Germain News from ESPN

Preceded by Real Zaragoza

UEFA Cup Winners' Cup Winner 1996 Runner up: Rapid Vienna

Succeeded by Barcelona