Hawaii has announced their new football uniforms for the 2011-12 season (as of last Thursday). Full description after the post, meanwhile here's a fun initial look:
Note: To see the full uniform press release, clicky here.
It's nice to see that the helmets didn't change at all. The shoulder/pants tapa drives me crazy, i love it. For those who can't see from this picture, it's a plant-type design instead of the usual blocky tapa, and it is a definite upgrade from the previous years. It is a tapa that would look EXCELLENT on a Hawaiian shirt, however the placement on the uniform is what throws me off. It's a lot more noticeable on the white (of course) and the design of the "stripe" is great, but it's placed wrong on the back of the pants. Call me a traditionalist, but I firmly believe that NOTHING should go on the back of the pants in terms of design. The shoulder parts would have looked better if it went down the whole side. The numbers at the top make the shoulder too busy. The "We Are One" patch looks excellent, and shows the true nature of Hawaiian spirit. It's placed well, but unfortunately no one will be able to see it because it's in the location that the uniforms are tucked in. I wouldn't mind seeing it where the player's name would go (like the military schools' Freedom, Courage etc...). That would possibly increase sales as well. I'm kind of surprised that there is no green alternate...yet. One more detail (if you take a look at the gallery on the link, you'll notice this): The "H" is missing on the pants whereas it is there on the print. If this stays, it'll be a slight downgrade.
So here's my overall rating:
Jersey: B
Pants: C-
Tapa Design: A+
"We Are One" Patch: C (strictly for the location, otherwise this would be an A)
Overall: C+
The uniform change as a whole didn't do much for me. The cool aspects of the uniform THAT CHANGED, were not showed off properly for one to fully enjoy.
Tell me what you think and leave comments below.