Kaizer Chiefs and Nike have launched the new 2020-21 home-and-away kits, which pay tribute to the club’s rich heritage and will be available from 28 September.

Chiefs are looking to move into a new era under Gavin Hunt and will do so in a new kit, released on Tuesday afternoon.

The home jersey draws inspiration from the icon and founder of the club, Kaizer Motaung. The jersey design incorporates a lion’s mane to reflect the Bataung clan name, said the club in a statement.

“It’s a great coincidence that we launch and announce next season’s jerseys during Heritage Month in South Africa,” said Kaizer Chiefs marketing director Jessica Motaung. “The home jersey is a strong symbol of the lion’s mane. And this is fitting for our chairman, Kaizer Motaung, who started this institution 50 years ago. We are now paving the way for the next 50 years as we move to the next generation of Chiefs lions and leaders.

“As Amakhosi we say you can’t stop the passion of our supporters as they are the catalyst for the brand.”

The away jersey is striking electric blue with gold trim around the neckline and sleeves to reflect the club’s prominence in African football. The collar of the jersey is also inspired by the lion’s mane found on the home jersey.

“As a country and a club, we have been through much in the past few months. We now have a new sense of urgency to do better. The new collection is unconventional in design and colourful, it’s exactly what we need – the unexpected,” added Motaung.

“Gold and black are our traditional colours, while blue is the colour of the sky and sea. It is often associated with royalty, depth and stability. It symbolises trust, loyalty, wisdom, confidence, intelligence, faith and the truth. It is futuristic and represents the technological aspects of the jersey.”

Kaizer Chiefs and Nike have once again added a slim-fit ladies cut for female supporters. The ladies design will only be available in the home jersey. There will also be jerseys for the club’s young supporters.

Both jerseys are constructed using Nike’s Dri-Fit technology that aids in wicking sweat to cool down athletes during play. Consistent with Nike’s approach to sustainability, the jerseys are made with 100% recycled polyester fabric, sourced from recycled plastic bottles.

“We urge our supporters to buy the new jerseys in numbers and wear them when they support the team from home, while we play behind closed doors.”

The comeback period of football has been gradual and supporters are expected to go back to the stadiums in tranches at a later stage. The club hopes that they will have Gold and Black at home and blue for away games.

“We say forward forever Amakhosi as we get into the 2020-21 season,” concluded Motaung.

The collection also consists of other retail products, including tracksuits, training tops and a polo shirt. The new collection will be available from Monday, 28 September on the KC DigiStore, Nike.com as well as from all leading retail outlets in South Africa and neighbouring countries.