Chelsea unveils a new ‘Eton Blue’ third kit for the 2023-24 season.
Chelsea have officially unveiled their third kit for the 2023-24 season, nearly a month after the beginning of the new campaign.
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It is based on the hue of the club’s first-ever jersey, which was worn more than 118 years ago, which rather curiously means that all three of Chelsea’s official kits for this season are blue.
With a royal blue home jersey inspired by their 1997-98 kit and a naval away shirt inspired by technology from the 1990s, the third kit is a light shade of “Eton Blue.”
Inspired by Eton Blue. A Chelsea original.
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) September 13, 2023
Our 2023/24 @nikefootball third kit pays homage to our first ever shirt, back in 1905. #ThePrideOfLondon
This was donned by the first Chelsea team in 1905, the year the club was founded.
In addition to their 1905 vintage, Chelsea have also repurposed another of their iconic retro kits to create their new third kit.
The “Eton Blue” of yore has been subtly blended with the “jade” away kit from 1986-87 to create the minty green hue you see before you.
The colour actually prominent on the shirt, shorts and socks is named mint foam, providing a contrasting canvas for a black trim and a wolf grey pattern, adding a touch of modernity to a timeless classic. pic.twitter.com/6eJDg4oWOH
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) September 13, 2023
Chelsea’s first competitive season after being elected to the Football League and authorized to compete in the Second Division was 1905-06.
A late-season decline prevented them from earning promotion. They had to wait an additional year to achieve promotion to the highest division.
After adopting the racing colors of the club’s inaugural president, Earl Cadogan, whose horses raced in a similar pale blue livery, Chelsea wore “Eton Blue” at first.
Two iconic Chelsea kits, worn over eight decades apart.
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) September 13, 2023
118 years later, the legacy of our first ever kit lives on. pic.twitter.com/UMYxRtWPae
The shirt was worn with white shorts and dark socks for two years before the club transitioned to a more recognizable darker shade.
The home uniform for 2023-24 eschews the intricate patterns and prints of recent seasons in favor of a more straightforward redesign of one of their most popular jerseys from the 1990s.
The evocative new kit’s slightly lighter blue hue is directly inspired by the shirt worn by Chelsea during the 1997-1998 season.
A squad comprised of Gianfranco Zola, Gianluca Vialli, Roberto Di Matteo, and Dennis Wise won both the League Cup and the UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup in that season.
A quarter-century later, the Blues have reintroduced the classic jersey’s white underarm panels and yellow gold detailing on the sleeve cuffs.
Chelsea unveils a new ‘Eton Blue’ third kit for the 2023-24 season.