Why is the new 2023/24 Bayern Munich home kit white?

Bayern Munich have unveiled their brand-new home kit for the 2023/24 season featuring a bold primary colour. But why have the Bavarians reverted to white as the main element?

In the past decade or so, fans have grown accustomed to seeing Bayern in predominantly red strips. Although the Bundesliga side likes to change up their style – be it pinstripes, hoops, or block-colouring – the general trend has been red as the main colour of the shirt.

But for the 2023/24 home kit, Bayern have moved in a different direction. Interestingly, the main body of the kit is white, and red features as an accent instead, across the shoulders. Red is also found on the sponsorship and logos of the jersey.

Meanwhile, makers Adidas have opted for red shorts and socks with white trim. This is much more typical of recent seasons. Fans can look out for the new lettering and player number design on this upcoming jersey as well.

Of course, the Bavarians are not averse to having white on their shirts. Why is it the main colour on this fresh strip, though? The answer, it seems, can be found when looking at the club’s history.

The historical ties of the 2023/24 Bayern home kit

Bayern’s latest kit is actually a reference to their jerseys from decades ago. From the 1930s through to the 1960s, the Bundesliga giants sported a shirt that was predominantly white with red trim.

When releasing the 2023/24 kit, Bayern specifies that their new shirt is a nod to the 1964/65 home strip. This was the year that the club first entered the Bundesliga – a competition that they have since dominated.

The German giants said: “The shirt reinterprets the iconic colours that stand for Bayern’s identity.”

In the last decade, the club even experimented with blue on the kit. However, this caused such uproar that Munich had to come out and say that their shirts will only be red and white in the future.

The 2023/24 iteration thus takes this message one step further. Bayern’s new home kit even has “Red & White for Life” written inside the collar. Via a clear nod to their history, Bayern and Adidas have created a jersey that is totally different from recent years.

You have to go quite far back to find a Bayern Munich home strip with this much white on, though.

Bayern Munich – white on their home shirts in recent years

Although 2022/23 and 2017/18 had some white pinstripes, you have to go back nearly 13 years to see the light shade as a main colour.

For the 2010/11 campaign, the Bundesliga giants rocked white-and-red stripes on their main kit. This celebrated their 110th anniversary – so was, therefore, another reference to their kits of old. Similarly, from 2007-2009, white-and-red hoops ran across the Adidas strip.

For most of their modern history, though, Bayern have stuck with predominantly red home shirts.

Will this retro-inspired return to white yield a historic campaign in 2023/24? The on-pitch success in the kit may determine how fondly fans view Adidas and Bayern’s bold choice in the future.

Featured image credit: FC Bayern Munich

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