The Flyers Launch a New Retail Line to Go With Their Independence Edition Jerseys
Think Liberty Bell details, a Gritty-sized jersey, and a golden-ticket-style giveaway.
The Liberty Bell has a starring role in the Flyers’ new retail line. / Photography courtesy of the Philadelphia Flyers
While the Flyers have never been short on recognizable branding, their visual world has traditionally been pretty tight: orange, black, and the winged P.
But this year’s NHL Hometown Remix campaign has given the team an excuse to play around a little. Yesterday, the Flyers introduced their gray “Independence Edition” alternate jersey, inspired by Philly’s iconography and America’s 250th anniversary. “We seized the opportunity to honor Philadelphia’s significant role in America’s story while celebrating the generations of fans and communities that have shaped our own,” says Comcast Spectacor CEO and Dan Hilferty, who also serves as Flyers Governor.
Christine Mina, the Flyers’ senior vice president of marketing, tells us the Flyers’ in-house creative team, On the Fly Productions, worked to expand the team’s longstanding visual identity while still making the result feel unmistakably Flyers.
Detail from the Flyers’ new Independence Edition uniforms
The new uniform is the first gray jersey in Flyers’ franchise history. Its muted color palette consists of “Liberty Gray” paired with an off-white tone called “Declaration Parchment” and burnt orange. The Liberty Bell is doing a lot of heavy lifting in the details: The Flyers crest is rendered with raised lines to evoke the casting of the bell, and the players’ numbers are “cracked.” Raised lettering on the sleeves quotes the bell’s inscription: “Proclaim Liberty Throughout All The Land Unto All The Inhabitants Thereof.” The inner hem is inscribed with “Philadelphia,” a nod to 250 years, and — you guessed it — a bell. Meanwhile, the six stripes on the sleeves represent the six decades of Flyers history.
Naturally, Gritty gets in on the action, too. The mascot has his own version of the new jersey, and an Itty Bitty Gritty take on the Hometown Remix look is also in the works for Gritty’s Chaos Factory.
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The uniforms have also inspired a merchandise capsule collection, with the same gray-and-parchment palette and Liberty Bell references. The collection’s standout is a stylized bell mark with motion lines — a nod to the movement of the Flyers’ winged crest.
The new bell appears across new men’s and women’s apparel, hats, and other merchandise. The Flyers worked with Fanatics and retail partners including New Era, 47, Starter, and TravisMathew to develop the line.
Some pieces make a more overt statement, while others take a subtler approach. The TravisMathew pullover and quarter-zip, for instance, feature understated bell details rather than oversized team graphics.
The first wave goes on sale Tuesday at the team’s retail locations inside Xfinity Mobile Arena and online, with additional releases planned throughout the holiday season and into spring. The uniforms themselves are only slated to be worn this season, but Mina says the bell mark could stick around as a secondary brand element.
The retail rollout coincides with the first of 10 Independence Edition games, which will take place between November and March. The Flyers will wear the uniforms for those matchups, and the arena’s digital graphics and game presentation will change to match. “Everything will be transformed for these games,” Mina says. “It’ll feel like a complete changeover.”
There’s also a keepsake for fans: a unique commemorative postcard for each Independence Edition home game. The Flyers are working with their in-house artists and local Philadelphia artists on a series of designs, each “celebrating a hyperlocal landmark, neighborhood, or piece of city history,” they announced this morning. And to add a little Wonka-esque twist, while every fan in attendance will receive a card, just one of thousands at each game in the series will be signed with a personalized message from a Flyers player.
