Hoop Stripes and Heritage (RB SS18 Drop 6)

So far, most of our rugbies have been recreations of really old-school international rugby jerseys; and most of these are solid colors, with oversized, intricate embroidery. But we do also love a good old-fashioned hoop stripe rugby shirt. Of course, to introduce these into our collection, we weren't going to just pick any old random colors for the stripes. We went to a framed print that hangs next to our desk -- a chart from The Boy's Own Paper 1922 called "Some Famous Rugby Football Jerseys."

Two caught our eye in particular, and they happen to be the colors of two of the oldest rugby clubs in the world: Richmond F.C. and Birkenhead Park F.C. Birkenhead Park was founded in 1871, the same year as the Rugby Football Union (the first governing body for "rugby-rules football"). Their red-white-blue-white pattern is so old, but looks so modern. Richmond began as a soccer club, but was one of the founding members of the Rugby Football Union. Their black-red-gold colors were chosen on a whim in the 1860s and inspired by a Belgian army detachment training in London at the time. 

We're obsessed with the history and the stories behind the clothes, so this is the perfect way for us to introduce hoop-striped rugbies into our collection.