In a sport such as football, where tradition is as important as modernization, it's no wonder Seahawks fans are mixed on the team's new Nike uniforms.
The feather-pattern neckline striping can be clearly seen in 'arena green' on the Seahawks' new home jerseys. (Seahawks image)
On the one hand, the Seahawks returned to a more classic look with the incorporation of gray in the updated logo. Gone is the lighter "Seahawks blue" that debuted 10 years ago, when Seattle last got an image overhaul. And most Seahawks fans were relieved that Nike's new Seahawks uniforms , unveiled Tuesday, did not use lime green as a base color.
On the other hand, the new uniforms are far more contemporary than the old ones. Especially compared to the rest of the NFL teams, the Seahawks got a more modern look, comparable to the edgy designs Nike has developed for college teams like Oregon.
But whether it's obvious or not, tradition was the core inspiration for the new Seahawks uniforms. As Clare Farnsworth wrote Tuesday for Seahawks.com, it was the spirit of the Pacific Northwest — specifically, Native American art and totems — that influenced Nike's global creative director, Todd Van Horne, when he started designing the new unis two years ago.
"That's our inspiration," Van Horne told Seahawks.com. "Living in the Northwest, you see a lot of that native style. So we just thought the most powerful image of that are the totems, and the most treasured of those totems is typically the thunderbird totem.
"Thunderbird. Seahawks. You have that obvious relationship. It's the symbol of supernatural power and strength. So we thought this is a great inspiration. Let's bring that into the design."
The stripes as seen on the Seahawks' new home pants. (Seahawks image)
One significant design element of the new Seahawks jerseys is the feather pattern that shows up in many places. The design, inspired by coastal Indian art, shows up as texturing for the numbers and helmet, and as stripes on the pants and neckline.
But those stripes have another meaning, one with roots in a more recent Seahawks tradition. On the pants and on the neckline, the stripes are each composed of 12 feathers, representing the 12th Man.
"They are feathers for that exact same reason: that Northwest style," Van Horne told Farnsworth . "It's collaborative. (The Seahawks) said, 'Here are the stories we'd like to tell.' For the Seahawks, it was the 12th Man and honoring their fans. They love that relationship and they described it. And we just said, 'Wow, let's do something with this. We can add some subtle coding and nuance to that 12th Man that make the fan feel part of it.'"
You can read much more about Van Horne and Nike's uniform design at Seahawks.com. Below are some photo galleries of the new Seahawks uniforms and helmets, and of Seattle's uniforms through the ages.
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New Seahawks uniforms If no text is displayed, click 'Show Caption' in the bottom-right corner.
Marshawn Lynch shows of the Seahawks' new blue home uniform, unveiled Tuesday by Nike. (Seahawks image)
The new home uniform. (Seahawks image)
The new home uniform. (Seahawks image)
The new home uniform. (Seahawks image)
The new home uniform. (Seahawks image)
The new home uniform. (Seahawks image)
The new home uniform. (Seahawks image)
Marshawn Lynch shows off the Seahawks' new white away uniform. (Seahawks image)
The new away uniform. (Seahawks image)
The new away uniform. (Seahawks image)
The new away uniform. (Seahawks image)
The new away uniform. (Seahawks image)
The new away uniform. (Seahawks image)
Marshawn Lynch shows off the Seahawks' new gray alternate uniform. The color is called "wolf gray." (Seahawks image)
The new gray alternate uniform. (Seahawks image)
The new gray alternate uniform. (Seahawks image)
The new gray alternate uniform. (Seahawks image)
The new gray alternate uniform. (Seahawks image)
The new gray alternate uniform. (Seahawks image)
A blue jersey, white pants combo. (Seahawks image)
A white jersey, blue pants combo. (Seahawks image)
A blue jersey, gray pants combo. (Seahawks image)
A gray jersey, blue pants combo. (Seahawks image)
A white jersey, gray pants combo. (Seahawks image)
A gray jersey, white pants combo. (Seahawks image)
The new Nike gloves show the refreshed Seahawks logo with the lower bar gray instead of light blue. (Seahawks image)
Another view of the gloves. (Seahawks image)
Another view of the gloves. (Seahawks image)
New Seahawks helmet If no text is displayed, click 'Show Caption' in the bottom-right corner.
A view of the new Seahawks helmet, featuring the updated logo. (Seahawks image)
A view of the new Seahawks helmet, featuring the updated logo. (Seahawks image)
A view of the new Seahawks helmet, featuring the updated logo. (Seahawks image)
A view of the new Seahawks helmet, featuring the updated logo. (Seahawks image)
A view of the new Seahawks helmet, featuring the updated logo. (Seahawks image)
A view of the new Seahawks helmet, featuring the updated logo. (Seahawks image)
A view of the new Seahawks helmet, featuring the updated logo. (Seahawks image)
Seahawks uniforms through time If no text is displayed, click 'Show Caption' in the bottom-right corner.
In the Seahawks' inaugural season, 1976, the home uniforms consisted of a blue jersey and gray striped pants. Players wore their number on their sleeves, which had stripes but no Seahawks logo. (Grant M. Haller / Seattle P-I file)
Here, the lack of a sleeve logo is visible again. The Seahawks also wore black shoes for the first few years. (Grant M. Haller / Seattle P-I file)
For away games, the Seahawks wore white jerseys with their gray pants. (Associated Press)
In 1981, the players switched to white shoes. (Grant M. Haller / Seattle P-I file)
The Seahawks uniforms got their first big makeover in 1983, with the addition of the Seahawks logo in the sleeve stripes. (Sherry Bockwinkel / Seattle P-I file)
The players' numbers also were moved to the shoulder. (Seattle P-I file)
The shoulder numbers can clearly be seen in this photo of the 1983 away uniform. (Associated Press)
The original blue and green Seahawks logo is seen on a silver helmet. In 1983, the facemask also changed from gray to blue. (Getty Images)
In 1985, the Seahawks wore a special patch on their pants for the team's 10th anniversary. Here, Curt Warner is seen rushing against the Los Angeles Raiders in L.A. (George Rose / Getty Images)
Defensive back Kenny Easley is seen in the Seahawks' home uniform in 1985. (Rick Stewart / Getty Images)
Brian Bosworth is seen during an away game in 1985. (Mike Powell / Getty Images)
Another shot of "The Boz." (Mike Powell / Getty Images)
In 1991, the NFL shield showed up on the neck of the Seahawks jerseys. (Ken Levine / Getty Images)
Through the next few years, the companies that produced the Seahawks' uniforms began placing their logos in different spots. (Ken Levine / Getty Images)
In 1994, all NFL teams added a shield commemorating the league's 75th anniversary, seen here on Chris Warren's chest. (J.D. Cuban / Getty Images)
In 2000, the Seahawks wore their own patch to commemorate the team's 25th anniversary. (Getty Images)
Here, the patch is seen on the Seahawks' home uniform, as worn by quarterback Brock Huard. (Getty Images)
2001 was the last year the Seahawks used their original logo and colors. Here, quarterback Matt Hasselbeck, right, is seen in the home uniform. (Getty Images)
Coinciding with the opening of Seahawks Stadium (now CenturyLink Field), the Seahawks logo and uniforms got a big face lift. Here is the new logo, which was redesigned to look more intimidating and uses a lighter "Seahawks blue" instead of green. (Al Bello / Getty Images)
The Seahawks' text logo also got a new look. And the helmets switched from silver to blue. (Al Bello / Getty Images)
The Seahawks wore this get-up -- a blue jersey and white pants -- during their 2002 home preseason games. (Otto Greule Jr. / Getty Images)
But they switched to the monochrome uniforms -- blue jerseys and blue pants -- for the regular-season home games. (Otto Greule Jr. / Getty Images)
The new uniforms did away with the arm stripes, and added the Seahawks' text logo below the neckline. (Otto Greule Jr. / Getty Images)
The new away uniforms were all white, as modeled here by quarterback Matt Hasselbeck. (Stephen Dunn / Getty Images)
Here's a good look at the new logo and away uniform, complete with Reebok logo on the arm. (Christopher Ruppel / Getty Images)
The Seahawks also had an alternate away uniform with a white jersey and blue pants. (Christopher Ruppel / Getty Images)
For their Super Bowl appearance in February 2006, the Seahawks added the Super Bowl XL logo to their uniform. (Harry How / Getty Images)
On Sept. 27, 2009, the Seahawks wore bright green home jerseys against the Chicago Bears. (Otto Greule Jr. / Getty Images)
But Seattle lost, and the green jerseys haven't reappeared since. Seahawks fans were split on whether they liked the bright green, though most would likely say they despised it. (Otto Greule Jr. / Getty Images)
Twice during the 2009 season, the Seahawks wore darker blue pants with their home jerseys. Here, Matt Hasselbeck is seen on Dec. 20, 2009, during a game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. (Otto Greule Jr. / Getty Images)
On April 3, 2012, Nike unveiled brand new uniforms for the Seahawks. While the entire NFL got updated unis as Nike took over for the whole league, Seattle got the biggest makeover. Here's Marshawn Lynch showing off the new blue home uniform. (Seahawks image)
The new Seahawks helmet has a largely similar design, but features an updated Seahawks logo and a feather-textured stripe down the center. (Seahawks image)
The new blue home uniform. (Seahawks image)
The new blue home uniform. (Seahawks image)
The new blue home uniform. (Seahawks image)
The bottom bar in the updated Seahawks logo is gray instead of light blue. (Seahawks image)
The new white away uniform. (Seahawks image)
The new white away uniform. (Seahawks image)
The new white away uniform. (Seahawks image)
The feather stripe is more visible in this helmet close-up. (Seahawks image)
The new "wolf gray" alternate uniform. (Seahawks image)
The new gray alternate uniform. (Seahawks image)
The new gray alternate uniform. (Seahawks image)
The Seahawks logo on the helmet connects at a point in the back. (Seahawks image)
A blue jersey, white pants combination. (Seahawks image)
A blue jersey, gray pants combo. (Seahawks image)
A white jersey, blue pants combo. (Seahawks image)
A white jersey, gray pants combo. (Seahawks image)
A gray jersey, blue pants combo. (Seahawks image)
A gray jersey, white pants combo. (Seahawks image)
Nike's new gloves show the updated Seahawks logo, featuring a lower bar that is gray instead of light blue. (Seahawks image)
Visit seattlepi.com for more Seattle news . Contact Nick Eaton at nickeaton@seattlepi.com or on Twitter as @njeaton .
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