Adidas launches Bob Marley inspired Ajax kit

Sportswear giant Adidas has partnered with the Bob Marley family on a new 2021/2022 kit for the Netherlands-based football team, Ajax.

The kit features a jersey, shorts and socks, with Amsterdam’s three X’s highlighted in prime positions. The iconic Adidas stripes feature in red, yellow and green, with three little birds embroidered on the back of the jersey in the same colours. The pieces will be worn for European matches this season, in combination with the Ajax home kit.

The collaboration is a tribute to the late reggae artist Bob Marley and his song Three Little Birds, a number adopted by Ajax fans back in 2008 during a match in Cardiff. The song has since become a regular chant by fans of the football team who sing it at every game, with the club saying it is viewed as a “symbol of hope.”

“I am beyond touched that Ajax has taken Three Little Birds and made it their anthem,” said Bob Marley’s daughter, Cedella Marley, in a release. “Stories like this warm my heart and show how impactful songs like Three Little Birds can be. Soccer was everything to my father. To use his words: football is freedom.”

The range also included a track top, track pants, a sweater, t-shirt and Samba footwear, all with the red, yellow and green stripes featured throughout the designs. The collection launched through Ajax and Adidas worldwide, selling out within hours of its release. The football club was surprised by the extent of the collection’s demand.

Ajax commercial director, Menno Geelen, expressed astonishment in a statement on the company’s website, saying: “We had already responded to the interest by purchasing much more than ever. A record number of shirts were sold in one day. This shirt is sold at least four times more than any other Ajax shirt. It’s unique.”

The company has said there is a select amount of children’s sizes still available through its webshop.