Hoop Stripes and Heritage (RB SS18 Drop 6)
![Hoop Stripes and Heritage (RB SS18 Drop 6)](http://rowingblazers.com/cdn/shop/articles/may3-rugbies-m3-1600.jpg?v=1525947096&width=2160)
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."
![](http://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1770/6343/files/180229_SM_RowingBlazers_039-m-1600.jpg?v=1525946818)
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.
![](http://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1770/6343/files/may_rugbies-2-1600px.jpg?v=1525922025)
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.