Sounders Unveil Secondary Kit Honoring Seattle Music Icon Jimi Hendrix

Seattle Sounders FC

Jimi Hendrix is deeply intertwined with his hometown of Seattle. So it's fitting that the city's soccer team is embracing his legacy with a new kit befitting the psychedelic rock icon. 

The Seattle Sounders unveiled "The Jimi Hendrix Kit" on Thursday, the franchise's new secondary jersey. The uniform will be dynamic purple, orange and yellow, inspired by Hendrix's "love for color and psychedelic patterns." 

A reproduction of the legendary guitarist's signature is stamped on the bottom left corner of each kit. 

“We couldn’t be more excited and proud to finally introduce The Jimi Hendrix Kit to the world; a true intersection of sports, music and pop culture,” Sounders FC owner Peter Tomozawa said in a statement. “Jimi’s legacy looms large, not just here in Seattle where he was born and raised, or for the Sounders, where his iconic rendition of ‘All Along the Watchtower’ has been a part of matchday tradition for years, but across the entire world. 

"In his short life, Jimi gifted us with his talent, and, even more so, with his generous and loving spirit. We wanted this kit to embody that colorful, creative personality, while also using it as a way to further good, just as Jimi used his own platform.”

The kit's impact will also stretch beyond the field too. The club is partnering with the Puyallup Tribe's Emerald Queen Casino to donate proceeds up to $50,000 from the first 30 days of the new jersey sales to five local nonprofits: The Jimi Hendrix Park Foundation, the Museum of Pop Culture, the Northwest African American Museum, RAVE Foundation, and the Tacoma Public Schools Indian Education Program.

In alignment with Seattle’s Social Justice Framework, the money will go towards empowering local BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and People of Color) youth, providing access to sports, art and music, while honoring Hendrix's legacy. 

The commitment from both Hendrix and Sounders FC to come together will be shown through the jersey as well, with lyrics from "Straight Ahead" etched into the neck tape. 

“We got to stand, side by side.”