As the Black Ferns gear up to defend their World Champion status, Adidas has revealed the official kit for the Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025™. The new jersey features a distinctive weave design, chosen by the players themselves after close collaboration with adidas. This pattern symbolises the unbreakable bond and strength shared among people and cultures.
The on-field version of the jersey, reserved exclusively for the players competing on rugby’s grandest stage, incorporates this weave within a newly engineered performance fabric. This innovation not only offers a unique look but also enhances the garment’s feel and functionality. Fans can get hold of a complementary version, which carries the same weave inspiration through an all-over debossed print on the fabric.
Both jerseys showcase an updated all-white fold-over collar, designed following player feedback. Integrated into a raglan sleeve structure, the collar provides greater freedom of movement around the sternum and shoulders, addressing the physical demands of the game.
A special feature of the on-pitch jersey is a refreshed fern motif—a spiral inspired by the unfurling frond of New Zealand’s native silver fern. Positioned on the jersey’s side panels and the back of the shorts, this emblem represents the Black Ferns’ ambition to protect their sisterhood’s unbreakable bond. It also serves a practical purpose, with a raised 3D-printed texture allowing players to wipe moisture from their hands during crucial moments on the field.
Performance lies at the heart of this design. Each squad member underwent body scanning to ensure the fit is tailored to support the varied positional needs and physical demands of all players.
In a year of great significance, adidas collaborated with artist Teresa Murray from Te Puia, the New Zealand Māori Arts and Craft Institute, to create a bespoke turapa panel that embodies the culture of the Black Ferns. A video accompanying the launch further explores the squad’s connection to the weave, highlighting their collective spirit through traditional patterns such as Poutama, Kaokao, and Niho Taniwha. The concept of weaving is also visually represented through wrist strapping, hair braiding, and linked arms in the footage.
Kerryn Foster, General Manager of adidas Specialist Sports, said: “The black jersey holds great significance to the people of New Zealand – and never more so than in a Rugby World Cup year. For this kit, our focus was on providing the Black Ferns squad with a performance-first kit ready for the demands of the game on the biggest stage, that also empowers and authentically represents the squad as a collective. Whether it’s the weave design, the return to a fold-over white collar or the sunrise-inspired training gear, this range has the Black Ferns input throughout and we can’t wait to see them wearing it as they defend their title as World Champions later this year.”
Ruahei Demant of the Black Ferns added: “Everyone knows the magnitude of this year for the squad as we head to England to defend our status as World Champions – it will be a hard-fought tournament from start to finish. The jersey is so important to New Zealand and to us as the players who get to wear it on the world stage. It represents the dedication you need to wear it, but also the dedication from our whanāu and friends to help us get here. To have the opportunity to be a part of the creative process was a special experience and I hope it resonates with our fans the way it does with us.”
Alongside the jersey launch, adidas has introduced the first-ever bespoke Rugby World Cup training range for the Black Ferns. Drawing on a vibrant palette of purple, orange, and yellow to evoke New Zealand’s sunrises, the collection offers a comforting reminder of home as the team competes for their seventh title. The range includes performance t-shirts, singlets, gym shorts, tracksuit tops and bottoms, and hoodies, each featuring the colourful theme in varying degrees.
The fan version of the Black Ferns Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025 kit, along with the training range, is now available to purchase in men’s, women’s, and youth sizes at selected retail outlets and the website.
About adidas
adidas is a global leader in the sporting goods industry. Headquartered in Herzogenaurach/Germany, the company employs more than 62,000 people across the globe and generated sales of € 23.7 billion in 2024.
