Debuted in 1873 during St Kilda’s days in the Victorian Football Association, this canvas, lace-up jerkin was often paired with a white neckerchief – and later a yoke – to distinguish it from other clubs.

Most notably, it is the only Saints guernsey to feature horizontal stripes instead of vertical ones, with matching, hooped red and black stripes mirroring the uniform’s top half.

While not a compulsory part of the official kit, many players opted to wear caps – some decorated in the club’s colours – and fasten belts to hold up their long (by today’s football standards) blue trousers.

The breakaway from the VFA to form the VFL not only birthed the competition cherished nation-wide today, but the next evolution in St Kilda’s identity.

First worn in 1883 in the VFA, it remained the club’s primary kit until the outbreak of World War I. With the advancement in knitting and dying techniques, woollen guernseys took precedence and saw the canvas forerunners phased out. Blue shorts were also discarded by 1909 in place of black ones; now far cheaper to produce.

Melbourne’s wintry and oftentimes unkind weather could make these difficult to remove and particularly heavy when wet. Guernsey numbers were first introduced competition-wide in 1912, however they did appear – albeit far smaller – during the previous season’s finals series.

Barry Breen’s wobbly point which gifted St Kilda its maiden Grand Final triumph in 1966 was done so in this guernsey, however what should be the most iconic picture in club history of captain Darrel Baldock holding the Premiership Cup aloft had the red, white and black conspicuously missing.

As was tradition then, players swapped their guernseys post-match, resulting in the Saints’ greatest ever moment captured in Collingwood colours. Baldock was reluctant to do the guernsey trade at the final siren, but despite the pleas from his teammates for the sake of posterity, he felt it was the right thing to do.

A photograph of Baldock, edited to have him in his rightful colours, now sits proudly at the club’s home of RSEA Park, Moorabbin.

First worn as a one-off pre-season jumper in 1996, the aptly dubbed ‘Hot Cross Bun’ kit was so well-loved that it became the Saints’ home guernsey from 1997-2001, relegating the longstanding tri-panel motif to away games only.

Pinstriping on the collar and cuffs were also present on the guernsey from 1999 onward and were brought back again for 2023.

The Crusader kit has made several appearances throughout the years, including a commemorative edition for Nick Riewoldt’s 300^th game (2016), a white-backed version (2017-2019) for away games and most recently, returning as the away guernsey in celebration of St Kilda’s 150^th year.

A trip across the ditch in commemoration of Anzac Day birthed several new St Kilda guernseys, which were worn in respect for those who served both Australia and New Zealand during the two World Wars.

Māori artwork is present on the 2013 and 2014 iterations of the design, with a red poppy in honour of the fallen appearing on both the 2014 and 2015 variants. The traditional red, white and black colour scheme of the Māori additionally align with those of the club.

It isn’t the first time the two nations have shared a footballing bond, with St Kilda playing a visiting Māori team all the way back in 1889.

Red took a backseat in favour of purple in honour of the late Maddie Riewoldt, sister of club champion Nick, for the ‘Maddie’s Match’ fixture; a game established to raise both awareness and funds for finding a cure for Bone Marrow Failure Syndromes.

Since the first Maddie’s Match, over $8 million has been raised for Maddie Riewoldt’s Vision, with the organisation launching the world’s first Centre of Research Excellence in Bone Marrow Biology in 2018.

Soon after, St Kilda launched its first Pride guernsey as part of the world-first Pride Game. Originally beginning as just rainbow-coloured numbers, the colourful kit has since taken on its own special appearance.