Ask most Blues what colour Everton play in and you will get one answer without a second's thought: royal blue. It is who we are. But the road to that famous shirt was a far more colourful adventure than you might think, and it says everything about a club that has never been afraid to be its own thing.
Here is the full story of Everton's kit history, from the very first jerseys to the royal blue we wear with pride today.
It started in stripes
When the club was finding its feet in those early years, Everton turned out in blue and white striped shirts, made from heavy serge. Practical, hard-wearing, and a world away from the lightweight kits of today. It was a humble start for a club that would go on to become a founding giant of the English game.
The Black Watch
Then came one of the great quirks of our history. In October 1881, Everton pulled on a black jersey with a single crimson sash slung across the chest from shoulder to hip. It was striking, it was different, and the supporters loved it.
The look earned the team a nickname that has stuck in club folklore ever since: the Black Watch, after the famous army regiment. More than a century later it is still spoken about with real affection. Proof, if you needed it, that Everton has always had a bit of style about it.
Salmon pink at Goodison
In 1892, Everton did what Everton has always done when it backs itself: built a brand new home, Goodison Park, and walked into a new era. The kit changed to match the fresh start, and this one might surprise you. Everton ran out in salmon pink and dark blue striped shirts with dark blue shorts.
Salmon pink. At Goodison. It is the kind of detail that makes our history so much fun to dig into, and the kind of thing you can drop into any conversation in the pub to win a free pint.
Ruby, and then the blue that stuck
The club was still searching for its identity on the pitch, and it kept experimenting. The salmon pink gave way to ruby shirts with blue trim, paired again with dark blue shorts. Everton had worn stripes, black, pink and red, and still the definitive look had not quite arrived.
And then, in the 1901-02 season, it did. Everton pulled on royal blue jerseys with white shorts for the first time, and something just clicked. This was it. This was us.
There was one last wobble. In 1906 the club briefly switched to a lighter sky blue, and the supporters were having none of it. They protested, the club listened, and royal blue was restored. It has been our home colour every season since. More than 120 years of one proud, unmistakable shade.
Why royal blue means what it means
That is the part of the story worth holding on to. Royal blue was not handed to Everton. The club tried stripes, tried black, tried pink and red, and chose royal blue, and then the fans fought to keep it. It is a colour earned, not given. When you see it on the new home shirt today, or on the seats at the Hill Dickinson Stadium, you are looking at an identity the supporters themselves protected.
And the best part of any heritage is what you do next with it. A club that has worn its colours with this much pride for this long is not running out of road. It is just getting started in a brand new home, in the same royal blue it has worn since 1901.
Wear the history
Every era of this club is worth celebrating, even the salmon pink one. If you love the home story you have just read, the History of Home Shirts tee gathers the home shirts we have worn down the years onto one design. And for the other side of the wardrobe, the Away Squares tee captures the away colours we have worn through our history, the best of the modern ones and a good range from the past, all in one clean design.
For the colour that started it all, the Royal Blue Mersey tee wears the club and the city as one. Fancy a piece of a specific season on your coffee table? Our retro shirt coasters celebrate the classic kits year by year, and for the full heritage lineup, the Retro & Vintage collection has the lot. Or browse the full range of Everton t-shirts to find the era that is yours.
From the Black Watch to royal blue, it has been quite a journey. Here is to the next chapter, in the only colour that was ever going to win. Up the Toffees.