The Complete History of Heart of Midlothian Football Shirts
Few colours in Scottish football are as instantly recognisable as Heart of Midlothian’s maroon. Across generations of Hearts supporters, the shirt has connected Tynecastle, Edinburgh and some of the most memorable moments in the club’s history.
This guide looks at the evolution of Heart of Midlothian football shirts, from the club’s earliest strips to the manufacturer-led designs of the modern era. It is also designed as a useful reference for collectors trying to identify and date vintage Hearts shirts.
Looking for an original shirt? Browse our changing selection of vintage and retro Hearts football shirts.
Before the maroon shirt
Hearts did not begin in the plain maroon associated with the club today. Historical kit records show the earliest team wearing white with maroon detailing. In 1876 the club adopted red, white and navy hoops following its association with St Andrews.
The decisive change came in 1877. The shirts were dyed a dark red and Hearts began the journey towards the maroon identity that would become one of the most distinctive in British football.
Maroon becomes the Hearts identity
By the late nineteenth century, maroon had become firmly established. Hearts were a founder member of the Scottish Football League in 1890 and won league championships in 1894/95 and 1896/97, meaning the colour was already associated with major success before the twentieth century had properly begun.
For collectors, early Hearts history is important because the modern idea of a football shirt—with manufacturer logos, sponsors and replica retail versions—did not yet exist. Dating an early design therefore depends heavily on photographs, collars, cuffs, shorts, socks and documented changes in construction.
The heart crest
The heart symbol has deep roots in the club’s identity, but it was not continuously displayed on the playing shirt. Historical records identify a heart-shaped crest on the 1910/11 strip, after which shirts again remained comparatively simple for many decades.
The familiar modern badge draws on Edinburgh’s Heart of Midlothian mosaic and became a central part of the club’s visual identity as football moved into a more commercially branded era.
The great Hearts sides of the 1950s and early 1960s
The classic maroon shirt is inseparable from one of the greatest periods in Hearts history. The club won the Scottish Cup in 1956, league championships in 1957/58 and 1959/60, and multiple League Cups during the period.
Kit variations existed even in this comparatively traditional era. Hearts used alternative designs for particular conditions, including shirts with white sleeves in some floodlit matches. These details matter when identifying old photographs and genuinely early shirts.
The remarkable 1972/73 Hearts shirt
One of the biggest breaks from tradition arrived in 1972. Hearts adopted an predominantly white design featuring a broad maroon central panel—a striking departure from the normal maroon home shirt and a design sometimes compared with the visual style made famous by Ajax.
The club subsequently returned to a more traditional appearance, but unusual departures such as this are part of what makes Hearts kit history so interesting to collectors.
Umbro and the rise of branded football kits
By the mid-1970s football shirts were becoming much more recognisable as commercial sportswear products. Umbro supplied Hearts through a long period from the 1970s into the mid-1980s.
These shirts introduced the details collectors now instinctively examine: manufacturer branding, distinctive collars, patterned trim, woven labels and increasingly recognisable seasonal variations.
Bukta and the unforgettable late-1980s era
Bukta took over in the mid-1980s, covering one of the most emotionally significant periods in the club’s modern history. The 1985/86 season remains unforgettable: Hearts came agonisingly close to winning the league and also reached the Scottish Cup final.
Late-1980s football shirts are particularly attractive to collectors because they sit at the transition between relatively restrained traditional designs and the increasingly adventurous graphics of the 1990s.
Admiral, Asics and the early 1990s
The manufacturer landscape changed quickly around the start of the 1990s. Hearts wore Admiral in 1990/91 and 1991/92 before Asics supplied the 1992/93 strip.
This period is useful evidence of why manufacturer labels can help date a vintage shirt. A correct badge or sponsor is not enough by itself: the manufacturer, label style, construction and design all need to make sense together.
Pony and the mid-1990s
Pony supplied Hearts during the mid-1990s. Like many kits from this decade, these shirts reflect the era’s enthusiasm for larger graphics, patterned fabrics and distinctive collar treatments.
Original 1990s Hearts shirts have become increasingly desirable because supporters who grew up with these designs are now among the most active vintage-shirt collectors.
Olympic Sports and the 1998 Scottish Cup
Olympic Sports supplied Hearts from the later 1990s. This era includes one of the defining moments in modern club history: Hearts defeated Rangers 2–1 in the 1998 Scottish Cup Final.
Shirts connected with successful seasons, famous players and major finals often attract particularly strong collector interest. Provenance becomes especially important where a shirt is claimed to be player-issued or match-worn rather than a standard retail replica.
Erreà, Reebok and Hummel
The turn of the millennium brought another sequence of manufacturers. Erreà supplied Hearts around 1999–2001, followed by Reebok from 2001/02 through 2003/04 and Hummel for 2004/05 and 2005/06.
The Hummel period culminated in another memorable campaign, with Hearts finishing second in the Scottish Premier League and winning the Scottish Cup in 2005/06.
Umbro returns
Umbro returned for 2006/07 and remained through 2011/12. The final season of that run became particularly significant when Hearts beat Hibernian 5–1 in the 2012 Scottish Cup Final.
For many supporters, shirts become collectible not merely because of age but because they evoke a particular match. A design associated with a derby, cup final, European night or favourite player can command far more nostalgia than an otherwise similar shirt.
Adidas, the 2014 commemorative shirt and Puma
Adidas supplied Hearts from 2012/13 to 2014/15. The 2014/15 home shirt was especially meaningful: it commemorated the Hearts players who volunteered for military service during the First World War.
Hearts won the Scottish Championship that season by a substantial margin, giving the commemorative design an additional sporting significance.
Puma then supplied the club for 2015/16 before another change of manufacturer.
The modern Umbro era
Umbro returned again from 2016/17, bringing the double-diamond brand back to a club with which it already had decades of history. Modern Hearts shirts frequently combine traditional maroon with details referencing older kits, Edinburgh and the club’s heritage.
This illustrates a wider trend in football-shirt design: modern kits increasingly use retro cues because supporters value the visual connection between current teams and historical eras.
Why vintage Hearts shirts are collectible
Hearts shirts have several qualities collectors look for: a unique traditional colour, more than a century of history, memorable manufacturers, distinctive sponsors, major cup-winning seasons and a strong local identity.
Scarcity also matters. Genuine older shirts were produced in smaller numbers than modern replicas and many surviving examples have been worn heavily. Finding an original shirt in excellent condition can therefore become progressively harder.
How to identify the season of a Hearts shirt
If you have an unidentified Hearts shirt, do not rely on one feature alone. Check the manufacturer, sponsor, badge construction, collar and cuff design, internal labels, product code where applicable, fabric pattern and contemporary photographs.
Our guide to dating vintage football shirts explains this process in more detail, while our vintage football shirt authenticity guide covers common signs that help distinguish genuine period shirts from later reproductions and counterfeits.
Collecting original Hearts football shirts
When buying vintage Hearts shirts, condition should always be assessed alongside rarity. Look closely at sponsor wear, pulls, bobbling, cracking, stains and damage to badges or manufacturer logos. A shirt does not need to be pristine to be collectible—many collectors actually value evidence of genuine age—but the condition should be accurately represented.
Our Hearts stock changes continually because genuine vintage shirts are often individual pieces rather than mass-stocked modern products. You can see what is currently available in the Heart of Midlothian football shirt collection.
Hearts shirts as part of Scottish football history
The evolution of Hearts kits also reflects the broader history of Scottish football: from plain woollen jerseys, through the arrival of manufacturer branding and shirt sponsorship, to the graphic experimentation of the 1990s and today’s heritage-inspired designs.
Collectors interested in the wider story can also browse our vintage Scotland football shirts, vintage Rangers shirts and vintage Celtic shirts.
A living Hearts shirt archive
This guide will continue to develop as more historical shirts, photographs and examples pass through Buy Sell Football Shirts. Our aim is not simply to sell vintage football shirts, but to document the details that help supporters and collectors understand what they are looking at.
From the earliest maroon jerseys to Bukta, Pony, Reebok, Hummel, adidas, Puma and Umbro, every Hearts shirt belongs to a particular moment in the story of the club.