Heart of Midlothian Football Shirt History: Classic Hearts Kits Through the Years
Few colours in Scottish football are as instantly recognisable as Heart of Midlothian maroon. Across generations, Hearts shirts have changed manufacturer, sponsor, fabric, collar and trim, yet the club’s maroon identity has remained remarkably strong.
This history looks at how the Hearts football shirt developed from the traditional maroon-and-white look into the sponsored replica-shirt era, through some of the club’s most memorable modern seasons and into the present day. If you are looking to buy an original shirt, browse our vintage and retro Heart of Midlothian football shirts. For collecting advice, see our guide to vintage Hearts shirts.
The Maroon Identity
Heart of Midlothian’s visual identity has been built around maroon for well over a century. Historical kit records show the club settling into the familiar maroon-shirt tradition very early in its history, with white shorts becoming another long-running feature of the Hearts look.
That consistency matters to collectors. Unlike clubs whose home colours or patterns have changed dramatically, Hearts shirts can be studied through the smaller details: collars, cuffs, woven fabric patterns, manufacturer branding, sponsors, crests and the exact shade and treatment of the maroon.
The 1970s: Umbro and a Classic British Football Look
The 1970s brought one of the most recognisable manufacturers in British football into the Hearts story. Umbro supplied Hearts from the mid-1970s, and the period included the famous diamond-tape aesthetic associated with the brand.
There was also a striking break from convention in 1972/73, when Hearts wore a predominantly white home shirt with a broad maroon central panel. It was short-lived, but decades later the design would provide inspiration for another unusual Hearts strip.
The 1980s: Sponsors Arrive
The early 1980s marked an important transition. Shirt sponsorship became part of the visual identity, beginning with Alexander’s in 1982/83. Renault, Mita and later Novafone were among the names that appeared as commercial branding became normal on Hearts shirts.
Umbro remained the supplier into the middle of the decade before Bukta took over in 1986. The Bukta period is particularly interesting because it spans one of the most famous near-misses in Hearts history: the 1985/86 season, when the club came agonisingly close to winning the league and also reached the Scottish Cup Final.
For collectors, 1980s shirts capture the transition from relatively restrained traditional football tops to the increasingly commercial and design-led replica-shirt culture that exploded in the following decade.
The 1990s: Strongbow and Rapid Manufacturer Changes
The 1990s produced many Hearts shirts that are now firmly in the classic-football-shirt era. Bukta gave way to Admiral, followed by Asics, Pony and Olympic Sports. Shadow patterns, larger collars and increasingly adventurous fabric designs reflected wider 1990s kit fashion.
Strongbow became the defining Hearts shirt sponsor of much of the decade. The combination of maroon, the Hearts crest and Strongbow branding is instantly associated with 1990s Tynecastle and remains highly nostalgic for supporters.
1997/98: The Scottish Cup-Winning Olympic Shirt
One of the most significant Hearts shirts of the modern era is the 1997/98 home shirt. Manufactured by Olympic Sports and sponsored by Strongbow, it was worn during the season in which Hearts defeated Rangers 2–1 in the Scottish Cup Final to win the trophy for the first time since 1956.
That sporting significance gives the 1997/98 shirt an appeal beyond its design. For many collectors, shirts connected to major trophies, famous players or memorable matches carry a stronger emotional and historical value than an otherwise similar replica from another season.
The Millennium: Olympic Sports, Erreà and Reebok
Olympic Sports continued into the end of the 1990s before Erreà took over for 2000/01. Around the millennium Hearts experimented with more elaborate detailing, including a distinctive 1999/2000 shirt carrying a millennium motif.
Erreà’s Hearts designs drew on earlier traditions before Reebok became supplier in 2002. These early-2000s shirts sit in an interesting collecting period: modern enough to use increasingly technical synthetic fabrics, but old enough that good original examples are becoming noticeably harder to find.
2005–07: Hummel, Chevrons and the 2006 Scottish Cup
Hummel arrived in 2005, bringing its unmistakable chevrons to Tynecastle. The partnership became permanently associated with success when Hearts lifted the Scottish Cup in 2005/06.
The combination of Hummel, the Ūkio bankas sponsor and a team containing players such as Rudi Skacel, Paul Hartley and Craig Gordon makes shirts from this period especially evocative. The connection proved strong enough that when Hearts announced Hummel’s return two decades later, the club itself highlighted the chevrons’ association with that Scottish Cup-winning side.
Umbro Returns: 2007–2012
Umbro returned as Hearts’ kit supplier in 2007. This second major Umbro era produced a wide variety of interpretations of the maroon shirt, from bold modern detailing to deliberately retro-inspired designs.
The 2010/11 home shirt was particularly unusual, reversing the idea behind the 1972/73 strip by placing a broad white central element against maroon. The following season returned to a simpler, more traditional aesthetic.
2011/12: A Famous Cup-Winning Hearts Shirt
The 2011/12 Umbro home shirt, carrying Wonga as sponsor, became part of one of the most celebrated days in Hearts history. Hearts defeated Hibernian 5–1 in the 2012 Scottish Cup Final at Hampden Park.
Because adidas did not become Hearts’ supplier until the following season, the shirt associated with the 2012 final is an Umbro design. This distinction is useful when identifying shirts from the period and shows why manufacturer chronology is such a useful dating tool.
If you are trying to establish the exact season of an older shirt, see our guide to dating vintage football shirts.
adidas: 2012–2015
Hearts announced their first partnership with adidas immediately after the 2012 Scottish Cup-winning season. The three stripes became the dominant manufacturer detail on the club’s shirts from 2012/13.
The final adidas season, 2014/15, produced one of the most historically meaningful modern Hearts shirts. The club commemorated the centenary of McCrae’s Battalion with a traditional maroon home strip, white shorts and black socks, a commemorative badge and no commercial sponsor on the front of the home shirt.
The understated appearance gave the shirt a deliberately historical character and makes it one of the clearest examples of a modern football kit being used to tell a story about the club’s heritage.
Puma and Save the Children: 2015–2017
Puma succeeded adidas in 2015. Hearts also began a distinctive relationship with Save the Children, whose name appeared on the shirt rather than a conventional commercial sponsor.
The relatively clean Puma designs kept maroon at the centre of the identity and form another clearly identifiable two-season chapter for collectors.
Umbro Again: 2017–2025
Umbro returned once more in 2017, reinforcing one of the longest-running manufacturer associations in Hearts kit history. The era produced numerous traditional maroon designs alongside away and third shirts that gave the designers more freedom to experiment.
In the 2020s, charity and corporate partners including MND Scotland and Stellar Omada appeared on Hearts shirts. These sponsor changes provide useful chronological clues when dating recent shirts.
Hummel Returns in 2025
In February 2025 Hearts announced that Hummel would return as technical kit partner from the 2025/26 season under a five-year agreement. The return deliberately reconnected the club with the chevrons worn during the 2005/06 Scottish Cup-winning era.
For shirt collectors, manufacturer returns like this create an interesting link between generations. A new Hummel Hearts shirt can evoke the successful mid-2000s period while still being identifiable as a modern garment through its labels, construction and technical fabrics.
Hearts Kit Manufacturers by Era
From the mid-1970s onward, the main sequence of Hearts suppliers runs through Umbro, Bukta, Admiral, Asics, Pony, Olympic Sports, Erreà, Reebok, Hummel, Umbro, adidas, Puma, Umbro and Hummel again. The changes make manufacturer branding one of the quickest ways to narrow down the likely age of a vintage Hearts shirt.
Our football shirt manufacturers guide explains how labels, logos, construction and product information can help identify shirts from different brands.
Why Hearts Shirts Are So Collectible
A strong club colour, memorable sponsors and several distinctive manufacturer eras give Hearts shirts a clear visual chronology. Add the historical importance of shirts connected with the 1998, 2006 and 2012 Scottish Cup wins and there is a natural collecting story spanning several generations of supporters.
Condition, size, originality and provenance all affect desirability. Original sponsor prints, intact crests and manufacturer logos are particularly important, while match-worn and player-issue shirts require additional evidence before stronger claims can be made.
Before buying an older shirt, read our guide to identifying authentic vintage football shirts. You can also browse our current Hearts shirt collection and our wider vintage Scotland football shirts.
A Living History in Maroon
Hearts shirt history works because the club has maintained a powerful visual identity while allowing each era to leave its own mark. Umbro diamonds, Bukta shadow patterns, Strongbow branding, Olympic’s 1998 cup-winning shirt, Hummel chevrons, adidas stripes and modern commemorative designs all belong to the same maroon story.
For collectors, that creates more than a sequence of football tops. A Hearts shirt can identify a season, a manufacturer, a sponsor, a team and often a specific memory. That is what turns an old replica shirt into a piece of Scottish football history.