The Vancouver Canucks have unveiled their first-ever Black History Month jersey.
The gear is the latest in a series of community-focused warm-up jerseys, worn on ice ahead of select regular season games.
The new jersey is, not surprisingly, black and features the team’s orca leaping through ice logo embroidered in red, green and yellow.
The limited-edition kit is the work of Ghanian-Canadian designer Jason Bempong, creative director of Vancouver clothing brand Sleepless Mindz.
According to the team, Bempong’s patch was inspired by Kente, a traditional Ghanian textile made from hand-woven cloth, cotton and silk.
“West African textiles have existed for thousands of years, with Kente being popularized among Akan royalty of the Ashanti Empire in the 18th Century,” the Canucks explained on Twitter, Friday.
“In present day Ghana, Kente is worn for special events such as weddings, graduations, etc.”
Each of the colours in the design carry particular meanings. The black represents spiritual power and maturity; the yellow represents royalty and prosperity; the green re[resents renewal, growth and harvest; and the red represents lifeblood, passion and strength.
The jerseys will be worn during warm up at the Canucks’ Black History Month game on Thursday, Feb. 24 against the Calgary Flames.
After they’re worn, they will be available through an online auction at Vanbase.ca, with partial proceeds going to the BC Black History Awareness Society.
Last month, the team unveiled striking, red warm-up jerseys for Lunar New Year, and in November a bold yellow design for Diwali.