The new Italian national basketball team jerseys by Macron

Yesterday, at Macron's brand new headquarters, the highly anticipated jerseys of the Italian men's, women's and 3x3 national basketball teams were unveiled in the presence of the players, coach Gianmarco Pozzecco, FIP president Gianni Petrucci and Macron CEO Gianluca Pavanello. An event to celebrate the first jerseys produced by the Bologna-based company, which will make their debut on Thursday 23 February in Livorno for the Azzurri's match against Ukraine. Macron has opted for tradition to pay homage to the national team's identity and history by keeping the colours blue for the first jersey and white for the second, with the addition of gold detailing to commemorate the fortieth anniversary of their victory in the 1983 Men's European Championship in Nantes and a strong message of sustainability and respect for the environment. Indeed, the match jerseys are made from Eco Fabric, a 100% recycled polyester from PET.

The new 'Home' of the national team is light blue with a round neck and white edged arms, in which there is a light blue line surrounded by two fine golden stripes. On the right chest, below each other and in silicone print, is the FIP logo and in gold the Macron Hero. The light blue shorts have a wide white upper band with a light blue stripe on the inside and two fine gold stripes, the same colour combination we find on the thigh edge. The 'Away' version has the same graphic layout, except that the dominant colour is white and the edges of the collar and sleeves are blue with the three gold-white-gold stripes inside.

Macron has also designed a light blue pre-race shirt with a white crew neck, featuring two wide white bands on the shoulders with a light blue stripe on the inside flanked by two smaller gold stripes. And a complete product line that includes training waistcoats in various colours, cotton T-shirts, tracksuits, sweatshirts, elegant short- and long-sleeved polo shirts for men and women, representation suits, hooded technical sweatshirts, rainproof jackets, padded bomber jackets and a comfortable and elegant parka.

A new look for a jersey that represents a glorious history and an important future, as coach Gianmarco Pozzecco tells us. "Azzurro has always been a reference colour in my career as a player and it is even more so now that I am the Technical Commissioner of Italbasket. In Azzurro I had the great fortune to win a silver medal at the Olympic Games and in Azzurro I also experienced one of the bitterest disappointments of my playing career as a missed call-up. That means this is not a jersey like any other. It is an aspiration, a reason for constant improvement and a great responsibility for those who get to wear it."