Influenced by and paying tribute to one of Florida’s iconic female trailblazers in Mary Ann Carroll, a legendary Black artist, Orlando Pride have unveiled the ‘Highway Woman Kit’, their 2023 Primary strip from Nike.
First up, let’s dive into a bit of history, because without context this will just be a good looking purple shirt. So, during the 1950s, an era of the Jim Crow South and segregation, a group of Black students became the original Highwaymen – six self-taught and self-mentoring artists who traveled throughout the state of Florida, painting and selling landscapes out of the trunk of their cars, as galleries would not feature the work of Black artists. Mary Ann Carroll was a member of that original troupe and the only woman in the group that grew to 26.
Together, through 30 years of painting and battling racial discrimination, it is believed that the Highwaymen created over 200,000 works of art and were later inducted into the Florida Artists Hall of Fame in 2004. Not a bad effort all round.
“Our Club takes great pride in using our kits as a platform to share and elevate the stories of barrier-breaking women from our community,” said Pedro Araujo, chief marketing officer for the Orlando Pride. “Mary Ann Carroll was one of Florida’s most talented historymakers, and we’re honored her family has allowed us to pay tribute to her and share her inspiring story with our fans and the soccer community through this kit.”
Following on from the Ad Astra kit, which was launched back in 2021, The Highway Woman Kit reintroduces an all-purple look for the Pride, with a dark purple base for both the jersey top and the shorts. As a nod to Carroll’s artistry, the main pattern of the kit is highlighted by a contrasting, lighter purple brushstroke pattern.
The bottom of the kit features an embellishment displaying a silhouette of a Royal Poinciana tree – a favourite and familiar motif of Carroll’s art – and her signature. Returning to a full-colour woven Pride crest, the Club’s Eola Blue colour is also carried down into the embellishment.
“When the Pride approached me about this collaboration, it was an easy yes. My goal is to continue sharing and speaking of my mother’s legacy and the impact she made here in Florida. She was a fierce competitor who loved sports and loved seeing women succeed,” said Carroll’s daughter, Dr. Wanda Renee Mills. “The Pride players embody my mother’s spirit, and it was an honor to not only meet them, but work alongside them on this project. My mother always reminded me ‘I won’t be painted in a box, I’m too strong and talented for that,’ and these are players that will never allow themselves to be painted into a box. I’m very excited to see the team in these purple jerseys, her favourite colour, on the field this season.”
The Orlando Pride Highway Woman Kit is now available for purchase at shoporlandopride.com
