The Basel Carnival, or «The Most Beautiful Day» (the three most wonderful days) is an event that extends far beyond the city’s boundaries. Rightly regarded as one of Switzerland’s major folk festivals, it has been included on UNESCO’s List of Intangible Cultural Heritage since December 2017. A festival and an experience that involves the whole city, and for this reason FC Basel e Macron they have created a ‘Special Edition’ Carnival Kit’ which pays tribute to this unique event, scheduled this year from 19 to 21 February, and which, for three days, fills the streets and squares of this Swiss town with sound, colour and ‘madness’.

Black and white, together with red and blue – the Swiss club’s colours – geometric patterns, city symbols and traditional Carnival motifs are the ‘ingredients’ of an exclusively designed shirt that FC Basel wore today, Sunday 11 February, at Sankt Jakob-Park for their Super League Matchday 23 fixture against St Gallen. The Carnival Kit, like all the Red-and-Blues’ match kits, is made from Eco Fabric, 100% polyester fabric made from recycled plastic, underlining the green philosophy – a commitment to sustainability and respect for the environment – shared by FC Basel and Macron.

The design of the black-and-white diamond-patterned shirt is based on the classic shape of Ueli, that is, one of the city’s traditional carnival masks, which resembles a medieval jester. However, this is not the only reference to one of the Goschdym (literally costumes) of the Basel Carnival, who parade through the streets of the Swiss city during the festivities, throwing confetti. The mimosa woven into the Baslerstab on the back of the shirt is, in fact, a reference to the famous figure of Waggis, who, during the celebrations, parades through the streets throwing sprigs of this spring plant to the crowd. 

The T-shirt has a black crew neck, and the front centre panel is divided into two halves: on the right, a design consisting of a series of repeating black and white diamonds; on the left, large diagonal black and white stripes featuring the Baslerstab, or “Basel Staff”, a symbol found on the Swiss city’s flag. The right-hand side is also embellished with small symbols in white, black, blue or red, inset within some of the diamonds: the club crest, the Baslerstab, a football, a heart and a confetti-like motif. In the centre of the shirt, both on the front and the back, there are two narrow vertical stripes, one red and one blue, echoing the historic design of an FC Basel shirt. The two graphics featured on the centre of the shirt are repeated in reverse on the long sleeves, and likewise on the back at shoulder height. As already mentioned, the back also features an additional and exclusive graphic detail: a branch of mimosa intertwined with the Baslerstab.

On the right-hand side of the chest, in white and with a silicone print, stands out the Macron the Hero, whilst on the left, in black, is the coat of arms of the’FC Basel. The back of the neck is personalised with a black-and-white label featuring the Swiss club’s crest, a design of a mimosa entwined with the Baslerstab, the Macron logo and the inscription ‘Designed in Bologna’ which certifies that every garment is conceived, designed and developed at the Italian brand’s headquarters.