Kutaisi is one of Georgia’s oldest cities, the capital of the western region of Imereti and home to a rich cultural heritage. The city’s most important club has taken on the role of guardian of this heritage, FC Torpedo Kutaisi, a team competing in the Erovnuli Liga, the top tier of the Georgian football league. The design of the shirts for the 2024/2025 season is inspired by the paintings of Niko Pirosmani, an iconic Georgian artist famous for his depictions of ordinary people and everyday life, featuring farmers, traders and innkeepers. His portraits depict Georgian life between the late 19th and early 20th centuries and are brought to life in a special shirt created by Macron, which has always made the celebration of a team’s identity and its local area one of its cornerstones.  

A UNIVERSAL MESSAGE

Although Pirosmani’s paintings are closely associated with Georgian culture, his art conveys a universal message. The stories depicted on his canvases speak to the human condition, expressing joy, struggle, celebration and perseverance: values that are also central to sporting philosophy and, specifically, to that of a club that aspires to be a team representing the pride of the entire country, not just its home town. It is precisely for this reason that Pirosmani’s art becomes a message that transcends the boundaries of a city and tells a story of honesty, hard work, commitment, sacrifice and passion; values that are also shared by those who take to the pitch wearing the FC Torpedo Kutaisi shirt, with the joy and pride of representing their country.

A JERSEY THAT BECOMES A WORK OF ART

The management of FC Torpedo Kutaisi chose to combine the club’s colours and symbols with characters from the works of the Georgian painter, elevating the shirt beyond a typical item of sportswear and imbuing it with a profound cultural and artistic message, thereby making it a symbol of Georgian excellence. In this way, by incorporating Pirosmani’s work into the shirt, the club aims to convey a message that goes beyond sport. Just like these paintings, the shirt tells a story of ordinary people achieving extraordinary things. The message resonates directly and deeply with players and supporters alike, fostering a greater sense of unity and pride amongst them. This design initiative reflects a growing trend in modern football, which Macron has long been pursuing alongside its partner clubs: that of creating kits which serve as cultural and historical narratives, capable of forging an emotional bond with supporters through a carefully crafted and sophisticated design. Jerseys such as that of FC Torpedo Kutaisi are more than just a piece of kit for the game.

FC TORPEDO KUTAISI, A CULTURAL AND COMMUNITY SYMBOL

The club, founded in 1946, is one of Georgia’s oldest and most celebrated football clubs. The yellow-and-blacks“ trophy cabinet boasts four national titles, five Georgian Cups and three Georgian Super Cups, the most recent of which was won just this year. Like any club, it has experienced both good and bad times, but it has never lacked a solid fan base. In recent years, FC Torpedo Kutaisi has focused on renewal and sustainability, investing in young players, promoting local talent and fostering a deep connection with the community. Both on and off the pitch, the club serves as a cultural and community symbol, with the aim of “inspiring change through football“, harnessing its positive power to bring people together and support social change. This is precisely the spirit of the Macron Hero: working and striving to achieve a common goal, both on and off the pitch. Furthermore, in Kutaisi, heroes And they know a thing or two about challenges, given that legend has it that the city was the final destination of Jason and his Argonauts.