St. Mirren F.C. - Colours and Sponsors

Colours and Sponsors

The traditional home colours of St. Mirren are black and white stripes, however for the first season the colours were scarlet and blue. There is some dispute as to why the colours black and white were chosen. A popular theory is that the stripes represent the Black and White Cart rivers which run through Paisley. In recent years there has been evidence unearthed that the Monks in the local abbey wore black and white striped habits. The team strips have varied very little in the long history of the club, however the thickness of the stripes have often varied. Some years have seen horizontal stripes used.

Away tops are traditionally red or all black, however in some cases strips have varied from orange to light blue, as seen on this season's 2010–11 strip. From 2007–2011, the Danish firm, Hummel International, replaced Xara as kit-manufacturers.

St. Mirren has had a number of main sponsors, mainly in the transportation industry, with several local bus companies and car dealerships like Arriva and Phoenix Honda sponsoring in the club. St. Mirren have been sponsored since 2005 by Braehead Shopping Centre, a local shopping centre four miles away in Renfrew. In August 2010, the club confirmed Barrhead company Compass Private Hire would have their name displayed on the back of the first team players' shirts as well as on their shorts. Compass Private Hire are owned by former St. Mirren player, captain and manager, Tony Fitzpatrick and Raymond Stanley.

As of the start of the 2011/2012 season St. Mirren signed a new 3 year deal with JD Sports to replace Hummel as kit and trainingwear manufacturer. JD Sports have licence to manufacture football kits under the brand names Carbrini, Fila, and Diadora. The first St. Mirren kits under the JD Sports umbrella were released under the Carbrini brand, although somewhat confusingly, the home shirt sponsor was another of the JD Sports brands – Fila. On the club's red and black striped away shirt, the long-term club sponsor Braehead Shopping Centre remained on the jerseys as the main sponsor.

In December 2011, St. Mirren and JD Sports announced the pathway for their forthcoming kit releases, moving to an earlier launch in the year to allow supporters to wear the new kits throughout the warmer months. The home kit is a new variant of the traditional black and white stripes, with a "special edition" change kit, featuring the club's original 1877 shirt design of thin scarlet and blue hoops. The special edition change kit is designed to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the club's 1987 Scottish Cup win, the 35th anniversary of the 1977 Division 1 win under the management of (Sir) Alex Ferguson (widely regarded as the greatest St. Mirren side ever), and also to mark 135 years of the club itself. Simple "135th anniversary" gold stitching around the club crest will act as a mark to all three of these events. If successful, it is anticipated that every five years, the club could release a "special edition" change or third kit featuring similar stitching around the club crest – making the change or third kit a collector's item twice a decade. For the 2012/13 season, an early glimpse of the new away kit was also given – an all-black affair featuring a red diagonal stripe on the chest. All three of these new kits are being manufactured under the Diadora brand name.