By Lindsey Young
An early cold front is hitting Minnesota.
The Vikings on Thursday unveiled their new "Winter Warrior" uniforms, featuring white alternate jerseys and pants paired with the first usage of a white helmet in franchise history. The uniforms are accented with metallic gray, including the face mask, and purple.
Justin Jefferson used an ironic choice of words to describe the icy combo.
"It's fire," Jefferson said with a smile. "It's beautiful. The gray, the purple, of course being all white, they've got that clean look.
"But you know, it's a dirty game. So we're definitely looking to get those jerseys a little dirty," he laughed. "The matte white helmet with the gray strip, I mean, it's beautiful. It's fire."
Vikings Head Coach Kevin O'Connell also got a peek.
"Goodness gracious," he said upon his first look at the uniform, adorning a mannequin against an Arctic-themed photo set. "Our fans, they've gotta like these, right? These are sweet. I love the metallic. White helmets? I love it.
"Where's mine? Where's the coach's head-to-toe white warmup jumpsuit?" O'Connell quipped.
The introduction of Winter Warrior caps a design process that started more than two years ago with initial concepts by Vikings Art Manager Jackie Ramacher. The Vikings debuted the "Winter Whiteout" uniforms during the 2022 season as a sort of market survey on the ultimate goal of a head-to-toe white look.
"We wanted to see, 'Would people embrace wearing all-white? How would it go?' Our fans loved it, and that's how we knew, 'OK, we really want to embrace this and use this direction for our new alternate uniforms,' " Vikings Creative Director Alicia Dreyer explained. "Some of the biggest feedback we got from fans with our Winter Whiteout was wanting to see an all-white helmet, but it's a two-year process to actually create the new uniforms and new helmets – so we appreciate people being patient with us.
"This has always been in the works, and we're really proud of what makes it unique," Dreyer added.
Winter Warrior will join The Vikings Classic as Minnesota's two alternate uniforms permitted by the NFL.
"We are one of 32 teams, we can all create alternate jerseys, and other teams do have white jerseys," Dreyer acknowledged. "So we wanted to create something that we could uniquely own, that was solely the Minnesota Vikings."
The Winter Warrior uniforms feature a number of design elements inspired by ancient Viking culture and the Northern climate, including the cool-toned color palette and subtle variation on the standard jersey's numbers.
"By eliminating the gold from the uniform, we have removed all warmth," Ramacher explained. "Metallic gray has not only taken its place but has become the star of the show. It is a nod to ancient Vikings armor, as well as to ice. Further supporting the ice theme, the numbers feature 'dripping icicle' accents that are a unique twist on our existing SKOL font serifs. We took a similar curved shape from our original number set but rotated it downward to emulate the look of ice drips, supported by the metallic gray outline."
Also unique is a completely new finish for the helmet, which was developed through close collaboration with the Vikings, the NFL and Riddell. A metallic stripe was added to the center of the helmet as a modern interpretation of the riveted metal strips used in early battle helmets.
"The ancient Vikings were innovative, creating new technologies for armor and weapons," Dreyer said. "The goal with new uniforms was to incorporate new techniques and finishes, which also includes the matte, metallic gray of the pant stripe."
The Vikings design team asked itself how to best emulate the idea of a "modern Viking," as well as embracing the frigid North.
It also was imperative to remain within NFL guidelines that dictate a team cannot introduce a new color to its club's existing scheme.
The Vikings uniforms over the years have always featured a combo of purple, gold and white; because the team's original uniforms and The Vikings Classic alternate utilize a gray facemask, however, metallic gray could be integrated into the new Winter Warrior uniform.
Two additional details include the VIKINGS wordmark on the chest of the jersey written in SKOL font, a pivot from the original Vikings script that traditionally has been used, and the Nordic knot design embroidered on the back neckline.
A Nordic pattern initially was added in 2016 to the inside neckline, but Dreyer and Ramacher wanted to make the detail more visible for fans. The revised knot design includes three shields that are a nod to O'Connell's mantra: "Our Way. Our Team. Our Process."
"It's just been a really amazing process working the past two years with the NFL and Nike," Dreyer said. "It's so wonderful and gratifying to see it finally come to life. To go from that initial PDF with just concepts of ice and playing with different materials and finishes, to actually being able to show this to our fans and wear it for [an upcoming] game is so exciting. I know people have been begging for this white helmet, so to share it with everyone is incredible."
Looking ahead to the 2024 season and beyond, she looks forward to seeing how Winter Warrior adds to the Vikings longstanding legacy.
"Like Viking warriors, Minnesotans are battled-tested, resilient, and tough," Ramacher said. "We are not only bonded by our harsh, cold winters, but we embrace them and any challenges that come our way. We adapt and overcome while never losing sight of our goal. These uniforms truly celebrate Minnesota and Nordic Viking culture."
