Exhibition guide for phase one: Plurality of Polyester 3 July to 4 September
Cabinet 1
Shirt on left: 1976-78 home shirt, number 7, worn by Gordon Nisbet.
Stripes returned in 1975 after twelve years of solid amber shirts, but the most striking element of the new kit was the white shorts that created a throwback look, referencing Tigers kits used between World Wars.
Shirt advertising was still a few years away, but sportswear firms were pushing boundaries in the 1970s: Europa of Leicestershire became the first supplier to put their logo on a City kit.
First used in 1975/76, this shirt design is commonly associated with signed Billy Bremner signing from Leeds United. There were several versions, the first of which had Europa's logo without a wordmark, that was added for 1976/77.
For 1978/79, City replaced the monogram with a tiger head crest, at the same time dropping white shorts in favour of the black set previously used with the away kit.
Shirt on right: 1992/93 home shirt, number 5, worn by Rob Dewhurst
The best designed Hull City kit ever? Not a chance, but certainly the most iconic. Third tier teams rarely get national media coverage, but the 1992/93 home shirt, with it's all over tiger stripe print, ensured its everlasting notoriety.
Wild designs were not unusual in the early 1990s, as kit suppliers showed off technological advances in printing, but they tended to be on away kits.
Not so with City as Matchwinner took inspiration from the club's nickname. Manager Terry Dolan remarked “the players look like tigers, now they’ve got to play like tigers”.
They did on opening day, besting Stoke 1-0, but the form was not maintained and City ended the season 20th.
The Nineties were a decade of sustained decline and misery for Tigers fans, and this shirt was a rare bright spot so is fondly remembered.
In between the shirts: The odd couple. A 'pair' of White Puma v1.06 boots worn in the Championship Play-off final at Wembley in 2008. Both left feet, the boot on the left belonged to Bryan Hughes, whereas the shoe on the right was worn by Dean Windass, who scored the game's only goal as City beat Bristol City 1-0. It was enough to promote the Tigers to the Premier League for the first time. The Hughes boot still has ticker tape attached to the sole.
Shirt on left of bottom shelf: 1993-95 home shirt issued for substitutes
Some people think the tiger striped 1992/93 home is the worst football shirt of all time, but it's not even the worst Hull City shirt.
That dubious distinction falls upon the follow up, worn for part of 1993/94 and all of 1994/95.
After falling out with Matchwinner, City tasked Pelada to design a non-copyright violating approximation of the tiger skin shirts, which were used at the start of 1993/94 with Pelada patches covering the maker’s logo.
The new shirts were ready by November, and featured a much tighter tiger stripe pattern. Up close it was amber and black, but from distance the pattern merged into a rusty hue.
There was more change for 1994/95: A new sponsor meant more patches. The logo of new backer Needler’s Sweets was placed on huge felt panels.
Shirt on right of bottom shelf: 2004/05 home shirt prototype
Despite bearing the branding of Italian sportswear firm Diadora, this shirt was designed and made locally by Dewhirst of Driffield, who have a factory in Hull.
A prototype supplied to the club as part of the design process, this sample shirt has several differences to the final 2004/05 home shirt:
The shade of amber was darkened slightly, the club crest would be embroidered instead of sewn on and amended slightly to note the club's centenary in the scroll banner.
The unusual oblique arm stripes were straightened on the final version.
In between bottom shelf shirts: Number plaques that were above shirt pegs in the Boothferry Park dressing room.
Cabinet 2
Shirt on left: 2014/15 European home shirt worn by Ahmed Elmohamady in the Europa League Play-off round 2nd leg game against Lokeren
The bitterness of defeat in the 2014 FA Cup final had a sweet aftertaste at least, as City would appear in European competition for the first time.
UEFA regulations on shirt number legibility are stricter than those of the Premier League: "Around the figures, there must be a zone free from any item and comprising a single-colour background".
Umbro's 2014/15 home shirt had stripes front and back, so a variant set was needed for Europa League play-off round games. They had plain amber back panels, to which names and numbers were applied in a bespoke typeface
The shirts were worn with amber shorts against Lokeren at the KCOM Stadium (after the Belgian side won the first leg 1-0). The Tigers won 2-1, but were eliminated on the away goals rule.
Shirt on right: 2015/16 home shirt issued to captain Michael Dawson for the 2016 Championship Play-off final at Wembley.
The Tigers were adjusting to life back in the Championship in the summer of 2015, after a bitterly disappointing season that began with European competition but ended with relegation.
Manager Steve Bruce sought to make amends with a Premier League return at the first attempt.
Just as they did for 2009/10, Umbro followed up a striped home shirt with one with black pinstripes on amber for 2015/16. City needed new main sponsors after 12Bet activated a termination clause and theme park Flamingo Land filled the void.
Fittingly the season was a roller-coaster ride: City led the league for parts of 2015/16 but ultimately finished fourth, qualifying for the Play-offs.
After squeaking past Derby, City met Sheffield Wednesday at Wembley, where Mohamed Diamé's 72nd minute goal proved decisive as the Tigers again won a Play-off final 1-0.
In between the shirts: Mitre matchball for the 2015/16 Championship play-off final contested by Hull City and Sheffield Wednesday at Wembley
Shirt on left of bottom shelf: 2007/08 home shirt featuring game detail applied to shirts for the 2008 Championship Play- off final at Wembley.
Umbro, the Cheshire based brand and long time supplier to the England national side, became Hull City's 'technical partner' in 2007 and would outfit the Tigers for a period of unprecedented success.
The 2007/08 Hull City home shirt used the same basic template as the primary England shirt of the time, and featured a round collar flanked by interconnected black diamonds with asymmetrical tapered stripes underneath.
A repeated abstract diamonds pattern that loosely looked like tiger stripes embellished ventilation panels under the raglan sleeves.
This shirt design was last used in City's first ever Wembley appearance. Cheered on by 40,000 Tiger Nationals who made the East side of Wembley a sea of amber, City beat Bristol City 1-0 to gain promotion into the Premier League.
Shirt on right of bottom shelf: 2013/14 home shirt featuring game detail applied to shirts for the 2014 FA Cup final at Wembley.
City followed up their first automatic promotion to the Premier League with the best season in club history to date in 2013/14, not only retaining top flight status but also reaching the FA Cup final.
For this finest of years adidas went back to striped shirts, but the new kit's most striking feature was rather fetching hooped socks.
The Tigers bettered their highest ever Premier League finish (17th in 2008/09) by one place in a campaign that saw City beat Liverpool 3-1 in the same month they thrashed Fulham 6-0.
City excelled in the FA Cup too, improving on their previous best of reaching the semi-finals in 1930.
This time they made it to the final, and gave eventual winners Arsenal a scare, taking a 2-0 lead over the Gunners but succumbing in extra time.
Table 1 (Preserved in amber)
Shirt on left: 1995-97 home shirt, number 2, worn by Adam Lowthorpe
Nostalgia was the driving force behind much of the kit design ethic of the mid 1990s: Three Lions, the Euro ’96 anthem and a requiem for past glory, captured the zeitgeist and retro inspired shirts became popular.
City could be considered trendsetters, releasing a home kit in the summer of 1995 that harked back to the days of Raich Carter, though given his passing in October 1994, the inspiration was more tribute than trend awareness.
The new kit, made by Super League, was superficially similar to the heavy cotton drill garb worn by City in the late 1940s. As in the Forties, a tiger head crest sat inside a sewn-on shield.
A contemporary feature was the shadow pattern that ran throughout the shirt, of repeated tiger heads over twin pinstripes.
Centre shirt: 2002/03 home shirt worn by loan signing Phil Jevons in the last competitive game at Boothferry Park and in the KCOM Stadium's ceremonial opening match in December 2002.
The last time the Tigers used a home kit for more than one season, it became associated with a momentous event in each full season of use; a move to a new home, and a long awaited promotion.
Jan Molby was boss when 2002/03 kicked off but Peter Taylor was in charge when City bade farewell to Boothferry Park with a 1-0 loss to Darlington, and when the Tigers inaugurated the KCOM Stadium with a 1-0 win over Sunderland.
City took the Division Three runners-up spot in 2003/2004 to end a 19 year promotion drought.
Shirt on right: 2012/13 home shirt worn by David Meyler in the 2-0 home Championship win against Leeds.
In the summer of 2012, Steve Bruce added the job of Hull City manager to a CV that had being a three time Premier League champion on the list of accomplishments.
It was an appointment that paid quick dividends: Bruce led the Tigers to their highest ever Football League standing (2nd) and promotion to the top flight.
After supplying two home kits featuring shirts with stripes, adidas provided a largely solid amber primary shirt (the Autheno 12 template) embellished with black yoke panels.
Home and away wins over Leeds and a 4-1 mauling of Millwall were standout results, but it's the chaotic final game of the season that is most memorable.
A 2-2 home draw with Champions Cardiff (and results elsewhere) sealed runners-up spot and automatic promotion.
Table 2 (Stars in stripes)
Shirt on left: 1980-82 home shirt worn by Dennis Booth
After half a season wearing Europa's shirts with adidas shorts and socks, the Tigers were completely outfitted by the brand with the three stripes from January 1980. City looked good but ended 1980/81 bottom of Division Three. Relegated to Division Four for the first time, the Tigers went into receivership in February 1982.
Centre shirt: 1997/98 home shirt, number 14, worn by substitutes including player-manager Mark Hateley.
Winds of change were howling through Boothferry Park in the summer of 1997, as the club underwent ownership and managerial reform.
For the new era, striped shirts returned after a five year break, but the repeating tiger-heads over twin pinstripes shadow pattern was retained from the 1995-97 shirts.
Early season dreams of promotion were quickly replaced by relegation nightmares.
The Tigers' 22nd place finish (90th in the professional game pyramid) is our worst ever end of season ranking.
There were some high points however, such as a 7-4 win over Swansea and an away-goals-rule victory over Premier League Crystal Palace in the League Cup that set up a trip to Newcastle.
Shirt on right: 2008/09 home shirt worn by player of the year Michael Turner at Aston Villa.
Deano's spectacular volleyed goal at Wembley ended a 104 year wait for top division football in Hull, as the Tigers joined the Premier League.
The profile of the club increased dramatically upon promotion, and nothing highlighted global recognition more than counterfeit Hull City shirts being produced in Asia for the first time!
The real shirts were used in our Premier League debut, a 2-1 win over Fulham at the KCOM stadium, and were most memorably worn at the Emirates Stadium when the Tigers stunned the world with a 2-1 win over Arsenal.
Table 3 (Better red than dead)
Shirt on left: 1984/85 home shirt, number 7, worn by Andy Flounders throughout the 1984/85 promotion season
Admiral refreshed our home shirt for 1984/85, replacing Nylon with Polyester.
Arrow Air, who flew City to Florida to face Tampa Bay Rowdies in June 1984, signed a one year shirt advertising deal.
City were promoted in rookie manager Brian Horton's first year with the Tigers, finishing 3rd in Division Three.
Some tweaking was done ahead of 1985/86: the shirt no longer carried a sponsor, Admiral's logo was embroidered rather than sewn on and player numbers switched from black to red.
Mark Herman's student Oscar winning short film ‘See You At Wembley, Frankie Walsh’ features the kit in match action v. Sunderland.
Centre shirt: 1986/87 home shirt, number 2, worn by Charlie Palmer
Admiral supplied City with new shirts for 1986/87, but retained the previous kit's shorts and socks.
The amber of the new shirts was an unfamiliar shade, more Watford yellow than the Tigers' regular tone.
The Tigers were backed by local poultry firm Twydale in 1986/87, prompting a surreal promotional photo of captain Garreth Roberts playing football with a giant anthropomorphised turkey.
For 1987/88, Mansfield Beers were advertised on City shirts.
The socks were updated too, as funky three tone hooped hose were replaced by a prosaic plain amber set. City finished 14th in Division Two in 1986/87 and 15th in 1987/88.
Shirt on right: 1989/90 home shirt, number 7, worn by Garreth Roberts
The last set of kits with red trim were released in the summer of 1988, but underwent some changes during their lifespan.
Scottish firm Matchwinner replaced Admiral as supplier and provided a shirt that was notably worn in a 2-1 FA Cup defeat against reigning league champions Liverpool. It featured the wordmark of sponsor Riding Bitter.
The shirt was updated twice for 1989/90. Sponsorless early on, City's shirts featured the name of local authority Humberside, an unpopular move, but those were replaced by a set advertising Dale Farm dairy. The shadow pattern also changed, from chequers to parallelograms.
Table 4 (On the road)
Shirt on left: 1989/90 away shirt, number 11, issued early season when the shirts bore the name of local municipal authority Humberside
White had been Hull City's default change colour since the club's inception in 1904 until the Tigers tried green as an away tone in 1990.
Since then City have gone with jade, maroon, purple, navy, silver, black, light blue, 'flint', royal blue, 'blueprint with scuba' and 'cactus purple' kits, but traditional white is still the most used tone when the Tigers need to change on their travels.
In the 1980s when red became a third colour in the club's palette, that extended to the mostly white away kits too, often in the form of red shorts.
The 1988-90 away shirt followed the design of the home, with contrast tone yoke bars, the red overlapping V neck connecting the shirt with the shorts.
Centre shirt: 2003/04 away shirt worn by Jason Price at Yeovil
Once the preserve of match officials, all black kits became an option for clubs in 1992, when the FA loosened restrictions on the palette of referee apparel.
The Tigers didn’t go achromatic until over a decade later, but when they did, French brand Patrick had their logo on a kit that would become iconic, forever associated with a momentous day in Somerset.
City got plenty of use out of this kit, wearing it in the league Rochdale, Scunthorpe, Cheltenham, Carlisle, Mansfield, Kidderminster, Swansea, York (with borrowed red socks) Macclesfield and most famously at Yeovil.
The enduring image of the 2003/04 campaign is of skipper Ian Ashbee at Yeovil, clad in all black, exultant after his spectacular winning goal sealed a first promotion in 19 years.
Shirt on right: 2016/17 third shirt issued to Abel Hernandez
City have courted controversy with a kit release on occasion: the amber shorted 1964/65 home kit was unpopular, some grumbled about the addition of red to kits in the 1980s, and more recently shirt advertisements for betting companies and pawn shops have raised ire.
No shirt has gone down as poorly as the Tigers' 2016/17 third shirt, however. Released in October 2016, the vivid tone described as 'cactus purple' by Umbro had few early admirers.
Then Hull City wore it, and promptly lost 6-1 at Bournemouth and 1-0 at Watford, sealing the shirt's fate.
There was a brief but heated public debate about whether the shirt was pink or purple, but the consensus was that it should not be seen again.
Thanks to...
Planning: Suzanne Allott Design: Mark Parling, Adrian Mitchell at Merlin Design. Photography: Chris Skelton and Darren Thompson Video: James Richardson Hull 2017: Cheryl Oakshott, Melissa Page, Claire Drury, James Trowsdale, Siana-Mae Heppell-Secker Streetlife museum: Tom Goulder
Item loans: Mark Goodinson, Adam Shearsmith, Andy Bradley, Leigh Palmer, Martin Parkinson, Paul Carter, Darren Thompson, Gill Wilkinson and Hull City AFC.
Dan Pratt, Ash Lord, James Greenwood, Stephen Broadbent, Joe Martin, Mich Martin, Mik Carter, Nic Johnson, Dave Richardson, Pierpaulo Pellicori, Chris Stothard, Cath Dyson, John Eyre, George Hudson, Melissa Bouston at Sports Identity.
TIGER RAGS