A special dedication and an eco-friendly touch in the United Rugby Championship match kits

A club’s jersey embodies many symbols and messages, and the Zebre Rugby Club’s jersey for the 2022–2023 season is no exception. The main new feature for next year is the adoption of the yellow and blue colours that feature in the logo of the Municipality of Parma, the city which, since 2012, has hosted and supported the franchise owned by the Italian Rugby Federation.

This connection with the ducal city was already highlighted during the launch of Zebre Parma’s new logo and is now proudly reaffirmed on the match kits to be worn by the North-West XV during their prestigious international fixtures against Europe’s top teams, the United Kingdom and South Africa, which compete in the United Rugby Championship and the EPCR Challenge Cup.

Innovation, but also history and identity: Zebre’s new shirts feature the inscription in memory of video analyst Luca Sisti, who died in 2015 following a road accident, and combine it with a tribute to Leonardo Mussini, the club’s head of communications and marketing, who passed away prematurely in September 2021. ‘LUCA AND LEO ALWAYS WITH US’ is the phrase featured on the back of the collar, commemorating two of the club’s driving forces and pillars, carrying them with them onto the pitch for every match.

Zebre Rugby Club’s new United Rugby Championship home and away kits for the 2022–2023 competitive season were unveiled in collaboration with Macron, the franchise’s technical partner. Both kits convey a strong message of sustainability and respect for the environment, as they are made from Eco-Fabric, a 100% polyester derived from recycled plastic.

The new ‘Home’ jersey is blue and features a V-neck with yellow trim. On the sleeves and sides of the jersey, on both the front and back, the zebra-striped graphic – symbolic of the spirit of Zebre Rugby – appears in yellow: a pattern designed by Areaitalia, a Parma-based communications and advertising agency that has been a partner of the club since its foundation in 2012. The back of the neck is personalised with the club’s logo. The phrase ‘LUCA E LEO SEMPRE CON NOI” (Luca and Leo, always with us) is printed in white on the outer back of the neck, in memory of Luca Sisti and Leonardo Mussini. On the chest, on the right, is the Macron Hero; in the centre, the Italian Rugby Federation logo; and on the left, the club crest. At the bottom of the back of the shirt, in a crescent shape, is the Italian flag, and further down the inscription ‘AUT FACERE SCRIBENDA’, AUT SCRIBERE LEGENDA, a Latin motto written by Pliny the Younger, meaning that the Zebre players, competing on pitches across Europe, have the duty and privilege to ‘do things worthy of being written about and recounted’. The shorts are blue with a stripe down the sides that echoes the yellow zebra-striped design of the shirt, and feature the tricolour crescent on the back. The blue socks feature the Macron Hero logo in yellow on the front, a vertical tricolour stripe on the calf and the word ‘ZEBRE’ in yellow.

The ‘Away’ version, which also features a V-neck, blue detailing and the Italian tricolour on the edges, is white, whilst the zebra-striped pattern on the sleeves and sides is yellow and blue. The design and graphic elements mirror those of the home shirt. The Macron Hero logo in blue, the FIR logo and the Zebre Rugby Club crest appear on the chest. On the back of the collar is a message in memory of Luca and Leo. At the bottom of the shirt is the tricolour crescent and the Latin motto. The white shorts feature yellow and blue zebra-striped graphics on the sides, whilst the white socks display the Macron Hero logo at the front and a vertical tricolour stripe at the back.

Both jerseys feature a Body Fit cut; the main fabric used is Eco-Armevo and the panels are made from Eco-Bodytex – materials which, as well as being lightweight and breathable, ensure maximum durability. The new match kits, as well as the exclusive range of clothing and merchandise that Macron produces for Zebre Rugby Club, are available in the club’s dedicated section on the macron.com website and at selected Macron Sports Hub outlets, including the one in Parma at Strada dei Mercati 10 and at the Cittadella del Rugby in Parma on match days for the XV del Nord Ovest.