Caernarfon Town unveil Owain Glyndŵr inspired shirt
Cymru Premier side Caernarfon Town have unveiled their new away shirt – inspired by Owain Glyndŵr and the 1401 Battle of Twthill.
The shirt is a collaboration between the club and creative agency The Deep, who have come onboard as the club’s creative director.
The partnership aims to blend Caernarfon Town’s rich heritage and the town’s vibrant Welsh culture to redefine the football experience, not just for the fans but for the community at large.
Cultural projects
The Deep Creative will be responsible for the club’s refreshed brand identity, digital presence, fan engagement initiatives, and cultural projects.
The 1401 Glyndŵr shirt is the first of a series of projects unveiled after consultation with fans.
The agency designed the shirt after fan consultation sessions pointed towards a deep affiliation with the town’s place in key Welsh historical events, namely the 1401 Battle of Twthill, and the emergence of Owain Glyndŵr as a mythical folk hero.
Symbolically, the battle was key for Caernarfon, and broader Welsh culture and mythology, as being the first event where Glyndŵr flew the flag bearing the golden dragon.
“We wanted to model the shirt on the flag, and this moment, without explicitly referencing the dragon in the design, opting for restraint, and a more contemporary interpretation of the colourway – off-white and a muted matte gold,” said The Deep director, Ryan Howard.
“Our campaign revolved around telling the story by associating the shirt both with the location of the battle, and the use of the fan’s flag, proudly displayed at home and away matches. Bringing together fans with place, and tying that golden thread to such a monumental historical occasion was key for us.”
Ryan added that they wanted to make the design as clean and simple as possible.
“We’ve always been of the belief that simplicity in design is key,” he said. “As football shirts continue to compete for space and coverage, many are inclined towards making their design as loud as
possible.
“The shirts that we have personally liked all have one thing in common – they’re clean, simple and, we believe, this leans into being timeless. With so much of a story attached, we saw this shirt as much as a platform for that story, as just a football shirt. We hope that’s come across to the fans, and has contributed to the incredible reception and sales figures we’ve seen so far.”
Fellow director at The Deep, Edd Norval, explained that what underpins the project is an organic fan culture and a deeply rooted club identity.
“Identity has to be cohesive across all touchpoints, and that’s what we’re trying to build, brick by brick, with Caernarfon Town,” he said. “A key part of a club’s identity is the fans, and organic fan culture.
“For us at The Deep, this shirt was a particularly important part of that process, as it was an opportunity to show the fans that they are seen and heard, and that we are here to represent them, and the club, after our consultation process pointed towards their affinity with this historic moment of the Battle of Twthill in 1401, and the historical figure of Owain Glyndŵr.”
You can buy the shirt HERE
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A move in the right direction, along with the cancellation of the English prince investiture that used to take place within the castle walls.
The Rygbi Gogledd Cymru region also use the Owain Glyndwr badge so hopefully we see a phasing out of the feathers used by the national rugby team and Wrexham AFC, who still show the Germanic ‘I serve’ to the English king.
Although ironically that investiture is a 20th Century invention at the behest of only Welsh speaking Prime Minister the UK has had so far. So often the politicians trying to muscle in (although on balance I think Lloyd George was one of the better PMs). Whatever you might think of them the Windsors are clearly not so tin-eared as to think such a thing would be right now. I like Caernarfon Town as a football club, although not my team, there are some teams you always wish to do well and they are one of those. Caernarfon has such a… Read more »
The feathers are NOT germanic at all. They are a play on the awen symbol. The insult is the fact they are turned the wrong way. Even the Fluer de-lis is a Gallic (Gaul, later taken over by the Franks) example of it.
The feathers also appear, without Ich Dien, on the Caernarfon coat of arms and consequently the football club’s badge which is based on the coat of arms.
Absolutely lush shirt. The Golden dragon was the sigil of the Kings of Gwent before The Normans replaced it with the fleur de-lis. Gwent preceeds Norman rule by about 550 years so the idea that they never had a flag before the Normans is ridiculous.