In the summer of 1988, the expansion Charlotte Hornets unveiled something the NBA had never seen before. Teal. Purple. Pinstripes. Pleated shorts. A uniform designed not by an equipment manager, but by an award-winning fashion designer. It was bold, it was stylish, and it was unlike anything in professional sports.
More than 30 years later, the original Hornets look remains an icon—both a time capsule of late-’80s style and the blueprint for a wave of teal-and-purple jerseys that swept across pro sports in the decade that followed.
We spoke to the people who created, wore, and marketed this groundbreaking uniform to trace how it went from an untested idea to a timeless classic.
The Birth of an Idea
When Hornets owner George Shinn asked Chapel Hill–born designer Alexander Julian to create the team’s first uniforms, the NBA had never tapped a high-fashion name for such a job. Julian—best known for his bold colors and knitwear—agreed, jokingly accepting “five pounds of Carolina BBQ a month” as payment.
The color scheme was already tied to the arena’s design: Carolina blue, white, and teal. But Julian had his own vision. “Teal and purple were my signature colors,” he recalls. “What they called teal wasn’t really teal, so I insisted we use my version.”
Hornets VP of Marketing Tom Ward says the choice was instantly disruptive: “Up to that point, NBA colors were hard—Celtics green, Knicks blue. Alex introduced soft colors. It changed the game.”
Details That Made the Difference
Julian treated the uniforms like a piece of sportswear, not just athletic gear. Vertical knitted pinstripes on the jersey (a nod to his polo shirt designs), multicolor trim, and—for the first and perhaps only time in NBA history—pleats on the shorts.
Team President Spencer Stolpen remembers the league’s initial resistance: “Six colors in the uniform, pleats in the shorts—they didn’t know how to make it. But we stood our ground.”
When the uniforms debuted, forward Kelly Tripucka modeled them on a runway in New York. “Pleats in a basketball uniform?” he laughs. “We had to have them taken in before the first game. But the colors? Loved them.”
The Buzz Builds
The Hornets’ inaugural season (1988–89) wasn’t about wins—they finished 20–62—but the branding was electric. The team’s kid-friendly colors, Hugo the Hornet mascot (created with input from the Jim Henson Company), and relentless marketing turned the franchise into a phenomenon.
A December 1988 nationally televised win over Michael Jordan’s Bulls put the Hornets on the map. Soon, Charlotte’s teal and purple gear was everywhere—from Spike Lee in New York to street markets in China. By season’s end, the Hornets led the NBA in merchandise sales.
Legacy of a Look
The original Hornets uniforms are now considered among the most iconic in NBA history. They inspired a wave of similar color schemes across sports, became a touchstone for ’90s nostalgia, and cemented Charlotte as a style innovator.
Julian is still proud: “We didn’t win championships, but we sold a lot of uniforms. And 30 years later, people still talk about them. That’s how you know you did something right.”
For players like Muggsy Bogues, the pride runs deep: “Alexander Julian made something unique. Different. That’s how you stand out. And we were all that.”
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