Charlotte FC Fortress Kit black adidas jersey with ally sponsor and teal accents, front view.
Charlotte FC Fortress Kit black adidas jersey with teal side panels and Rugby TV patch, back view.

Built in partnership with adidas, the 2025 “Fortress Kit” was designed as a modern expression of Charlotte’s identity on a global stage. Rooted in club storytelling, we leaned into existing club visuals that honor traditions to create a layered narrative around protection, unity, and pride.

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Charlotte FC's Fortress Kit was #1 in Major League Soccer in 7 days for sales, the best in club history (+6% from the inaugural season).
Charlotte FC player in black Adidas ally jersey standing on pitch at night.
Close-up of Charlotte FC black Adidas jersey featuring intricate geometric pattern with light blue collar detail.
Charlotte FC Fortress Kit jerseys for Westwood and Zaha hanging in the team locker room.
Charlotte FC black Fortress Kit jersey with ally sponsor hanging in the locker room close-up.

This kit was a two year process that started with a tight moodboard built around four core images to set the story and direction. Compared to past years, the adidas brief was more structured, so we came in with a clearer point of view and less open exploration. A lot of the key elements were built in house, including the Man of the Match crown pattern, which adidas then translated into the embossed material on the kit. While adidas owns the performance product template and athletic apparel construction, this was a much more club led effort than any other kit in club history, and the first time our internal team was able to design something intentionally rooted in our traditions and brand.

Charlotte FC Fortress Kit design breakdown highlighting fortress, monogram, silver, pattern, and shield.
INTENTIONAL DESIGN

BLACK BASE


It is required that clubs have a "light" kit and a "dark" kit for MLS competition regulations. Returning to a black base was intended to be a nod to the beloved inaugural season secondary kit, the iconic fan-favorite "Mint Kit". This choice also ensured consistency with club colors being the represented in a core visual heading into the 2026 FIFA World Cup where all eyes will be on soccer in America.

EMBOSSED ETCHING


We felt strongly to include the etching from the spires of the iconic Man of the Match crown as a subtle, but strong design element. The intertwined and repeating pattern is symbolic of both a club tradition that honors the player of the match and armor worn for battle. This motif was carried over to design concepts throughout the season and lived long beyond the launch.

COLOR CHOICE


This was the first time silver really had it's moment from our brand color palette. It's a wink to the color of coins which our primary crest was modeled after. With the stark contrast of the black base and subtle sheen and shine reflection of the embossed patterns, having all logos, crests, and marks appear uniform in one neutral color created cohesive. Blue was used as the tertiary color, a flash of accent

SIGNOFF STORIES


Fortress Signoff (Back of Neck): Designed to mirror key visuals of Bank of America Stadium (aka "The Fortress), home of the Mighty Black and Blue and a proven difficult place for opponents to play due to the atmosphere created by Charlotte FC's incredible supporter groups and fans.


Coat of Arms (Jocktag): Designed to honor the history of knights who carry their shield to battle incorporating patterns, icons and logos that carry meaning for our club identity including the crown, the Man of the Match pattern, the lock up of North Carolina and South Carolina states and the vertical monogram logo.

Charlotte FC crown design templates showing Man of the Match and For the Crown text in decorative outline style.
Black royal crown with blue gemstone accents on white background, Charlotte FC themed merchandise.
Dark geometric Art Deco pattern with interlocking oval shapes and maze-like designs in charcoal tones.
Charlotte FC Bank of America Stadium exterior featuring modern dark architecture and blue glass facade under clear blue sky.
Adobe Illustrator workspace showing the Charlotte FC fortress castle logo design in blue and white.
Charlotte FC player holding soccer ball on shoulder wearing black Adidas ally sponsored jersey on dark background.
Charlotte FC player in black Adidas jersey poses with decorative black crowns in background during kit reveal.
Charlotte FC player in black ally jersey holding head during match.
Charlotte FC player performing acrobatic kick during MLS match at home stadium.
Charlotte FC player stands with arms crossed wearing black Adidas ally sponsored jersey on dark background.
Charlotte FC player crouching in black Adidas jersey with ally sponsor surrounded by black crown decorations.
Charlotte FC player dribbling ball during nighttime MLS match in black jersey.
Charlotte FC player in black Adidas ally jersey dribbling during evening match.
Charlotte FC player wearing black Adidas ally-sponsored jersey posing confidently.
Charlotte FC player in black Adidas kit stands with arms crossed surrounded by black crown decorations on wall.
Charlotte FC players huddle in black ally jerseys before MLS match.
Charlotte FC player celebrating goal in black ally jersey at home stadium.
Charlotte FC black Adidas Fortress Kit jersey with ally sponsor and blue collar detail.
Charlotte FC Fortress Kit dark jersey with embroidered CFC monogram logo on black textured fabric.
Charlotte FC shield crest with crown, CLFC initials, NC state outline, and tribal pattern on black kit.
Charlotte FC Fortress Kit blue castle battlement graphic on black jersey with gothic typography.
Charlotte FC Fortress Kit black jersey back showing silver FORTRESS name and number 25.
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Charlotte FC players modeling the dark Fortress Kit with gothic branding and blue accents.
Charlotte FC player wearing the black Fortress Kit with blue CFC monogram and Adidas branding.
Charlotte FC player in Fortress Kit available at Team Store, a Fanatics Experience.

The result is a clean design that connects on-field performance with supporter culture, positioning the club as both defenders of the city and a unified force within it.

CREDITS:

Kit Design: adidas x Taylor Banner (Charlotte FC)

Signoffs: Taylor Banner - Fortress, Ryland Tunney - Shield (Charlotte FC)

Photography:

  • Hollow Body Images: adidas
  • Locker Room Images: Taylor Banner
  • Flat Lay: Alana McCallion
  • On-Pitch Action: Taylor Banner
  • Gray Production Set: Alana McCallion (Creative Direction: Taylor Banner)
  • Black Production Set Bee Trofort-Wilson (Creative Direction: Taylor Banner)

Graphics:

  • Tessa Hansen, Hannah Keiser, Nathalie Cairo, Aidan Dietrick, Taylor Banner


[ It takes a village! ]