FC Basel, a special shirt for the city’s Carnival: the ‘Drey Scheenschte Dääg’

Basel Carnival, known as the ‘drey scheenschte Dääg’ (three most beautiful days), is famous well beyond the confines of the city itself. It is one of the largest popular festivals in Switzerland and, since December 2017, has been rightly included in UNESCO’s Lists of Intangible Cultural Heritage. A true festival that involves every aspect of city life, and with this in mind, FC Basel and Macron have come up with a special edition Carnival Kit to pay homage to this unique event, which runs from 19 to 21 February this year and will fill the streets and squares of the Swiss city with sound, colour and gaiety.

Black and white along with the club’s own red and blue, geometric motifs, and symbols of the city and Carnival provide the “ingredients” of the exclusively designed shirt that FC Basel will wear on Saturday 11 February at the Sankt Jakob-Park when they play San Gallo on the 23^rd day of the Super League. Like all the kits worn by the Red and Blues, the Carnival Kit is made from Eco Fabric, a polyester material obtained entirely from recycled plastic, confirming the green philosophy and commitment to sustainability and the environment that FC Basel shares with Macron.

The black and white rhomboid pattern on the shirt is based on the classic figure of Ueli, a traditional Carnival mask that resembles a mediaeval jester. This, however, is not the only reference to the Goschdym (costumes) that parade through the streets of the city at Carnival time, throwing confetti. The mimosa wound around the Baslerstab seen on the back of the shirt refers to the famous figure of Waggis, who tosses sprigs of the springtime-flowering plant to the public on Carnival days. 

The shirt has a black crew neck. The body is divided into two halves: on the right is a pattern of black and white rhomboids while on the left are broad diagonal bands of black and white decorated with the Baslerstab or Basel crosier, the symbol of the city taken from its flag. The right half of the shirt is also enriched by a series of small black, white, red and blue figures with the club logo, the Baslerstab, a ball, a heart and a piece of confetti depicted inside rhomboid shapes. In the centre of the shirt, front and back, are two narrow vertical stripes, one in red and the other in blue, replicating a historic FC Basel shirt design. The sleeves invert the two graphics from the centre, as does the back at shoulder height. As already mentioned, the back of the shirt features another exclusive graphic detail: a sprig of mimosa wound around the Baslerstab.

The Macron Hero appears on the right of the chest in a white silicone print, while the FC Basel badge appears in black on the left. The inside label is customised in black and white and features the club’s badge, the mimosa and Baslerstab motif, the Macron logo and the words ‘Designed in Bologna’ certifying that the garment is conceived, designed and produced at Macron's Bologna HQ.