We’d like to thank the history group for leading the efforts in rediscovering what a Dulwich Hamlet kit should be and setting down the principles for our kit design. 

From Roger Deason… 

I’ve never given much thought to new kit. It just turns up, despite being a subject which sees passionate opinions held. Then, late last season, Hamlet asked the History Group to select a template for the 2025/26 kit. This template was passed to a kit designer who delivered the final design. The remit was the home kit needed a historic link and to “reclaim” pink; the away kit should move away from red, white and black. 

The initial idea was to re-visit the 1925/26 narrow stripe kit. When that design appeared late last season as a one-off kit marking the centenary of the first Altona match, it felt wrong to release a virtually identical kit. We moved to the earliest known pink and blue kit: the halves from 1900/01. Worn by Hugh Lloyd, one of two brothers “who taught us how to play”, this was the inspiration for the 2025 kit. 

Hamlet have typically worn white or yellow second kits, we ruled these colours out feeling the risk of clashes was too high. We looked to clubs who feature in our history, settling on Red Star FC. We couldn’t think of any likely opponents wearing green and blue, so ran with it. Les verts et blancs are a club Hamlet fans enjoy a good relationship with, following a visit there by the late Mishi Morath. Red Star fans actively protested against their club being taken over by 777 Partners. 777’s collapse last season saw Red Star face serious challenges. We wish our friends over the water well. 

All green was out, due to colour blindness. Halves contained too much white, risking clashes. Quarters nearly won but there was a feeling that as we're blessed with a “who’s that?” kit when people see a Hamlet fan, why not do the same with the second kit? With Liverpool having worn green and white quarters recently, we decided to do something no-one could mistake for a Premier League club. The check pattern also contrasts well with most other kits. 

 
We hope you like the new kits. 

Moving forward the club are fixing the shades of pink and blue you see today, rather than chopping and changing shades. Also, on grounds of sustainability and affordability, Also, on grounds of sustainability and affordability, we are working on plans to phase in a longer kit cycle rather than re-designing both kits every year obviously taking into consideration that sponsors may change. 

And thanks also to Richard Watts for this Q&A on the challenges we set… 

What is our real home kit design, i.e. why the halves? 

The club’s original playing colours were “white shirts and dark knickers.” Pink and blue was soon adopted, in recognition of prominent players the Lloyd brothers. It was said the Lloyds had “taught us how to play”, and they were old boys of Westminster School and Dulwich College respectively, whose respective colours were pink and navy blue. The earliest known version of pink and blue shirts is the halves design we have chosen for this season. 

Which pink and which blue are really our traditional colours? 

It is impossible to be certain. The club switched to playing in royal blue from 1966 through to 1994, hence many supporters who began following the club during that era will remember those kits fondly. The pink in those kits often faded badly, running with the blue through repeated washing, and assumed a dull lavender shade by the end of the season. In selecting the precise shades of pink and blue for this season’s kit, we attempted to match them as closely as possible to the tones used for past classic shirts, including the original “Ernie Toser shirt” from the 1937 FA Amateur Cup Final. However, modern fabrics are very different to the heavyweight cotton shirts worn 90 years ago, so it’s difficult to make an exact match. We have therefore chosen bold shades that aim to stand out clearly under floodlights, resist repeated hot washing, and clearly distinguish our players from their opponents. Above all else, “no one else plays in pink” except for Corinthian Casuals, so we want pink to be a prominent part of our playing kit. 

Why have we not had a traditional away colour? 

We rarely needed a change kit in the days when near clashes were tolerated much more so than in the modern age, as very few other clubs played in pink or navy blue shirts. The earliest photographic evidence of Hamlet change kits shows us playing in plain white shirts away to St Albans City more than 100 years ago, with the same navy blue shorts and pink & navy blue stockings as the home kit. 

Why the green and white? 

The first time Hamlet wore green and white as a change kit was in the 1992-93 season, when playing away to St Albans City. Our pink & blue striped home kit and all yellow away kit both clashed with the host club’s blue & yellow stripes. A green & white kit was borrowed from the club physiotherapist’s Sunday team as a third choice. It served its purpose, so for the following season a change kit of green & white striped shirts with green shorts was ordered. Further green & white striped change kits were used during the mid-1990s and the middle of the following decade. None of our likely opponents plays in blue and green, therefore a predominantly green kit is unlikely to clash with anyone else’s predominantly blue home kit, so there should be no need for a third kit. We have opted for the chequered shirts pattern, as it gives us a unique look not associated with any other club’s green and white shirts, as well as providing additional contrast with any striped or hooped opponents’ shirts.