The Official 2020 Color Debate Thread

[THWG]

I can tell you from being in the apparel business, that gold anything is produced in much lower quantities than navy and/or white. And bookstore employees, along with Adidas reps have said things to validate this. Heck, Adidas.com under Georgia Tech is almost exclusively navy. With even a navy blue with green apparel option.


https://www.adidas.com/us/georgia_tech

So when/if gold sells out, it’s more than likely because much, much less is made.

We've explained this to him like 20 times, but it doesn't get through.

 

[H-Wade]

We've explained this to him like 20 times, but it doesn't get through.

 

[chris975d]

Oh I love gold too. Buy it all when I can find it, and even make my own when I can’t find what I want. But the reality is gold doesn’t sell well. Navy does. Adidas.com and what they stock for GT (when they even stock stuff for us) basically shows this.

 

[Gold1]

I can tell you from being in the apparel business, that gold anything is produced in much lower quantities than navy and/or white. And bookstore employees, along with Adidas reps have said things to validate this. Heck, Adidas.com under Georgia Tech is almost exclusively navy. With even a navy blue with green apparel option.


https://www.adidas.com/us/georgia_tech

So when/if gold sells out, it’s more than likely because much, much less is made.

I know this. We've all talked about that exact thing several times. Thats why a lot of us are frustrated with how much we are promoting navy. None of what you said changes the fact GT is the white and gold and just because adidas has more blue in stock, that doesnt mean it now needs to be our main color for anything. I mean GT just did a huge survey and gold was by far the #1 choice for people.

 

[H-Wade]

Oh I love gold too. Buy it all when I can find it, and even make my own when I can’t find what I want. But the reality is gold doesn’t sell well. Navy does. Adidas.com and what they stock for GT (when they even stock stuff for us) basically shows this.

I agree with you I just having fun with the gold obsessed posters. I actually love our Navy unis!!

 

[Supersizethatorder-mutt]

I know this. We've all talked about that exact thing several times. Thats why a lot of us are frustrated with how much we are promoting navy. None of what you said changes the fact GT is the white and gold and just because adidas has more blue in stock, that doesnt mean it now needs to be our main color for anything. I mean GT just did a huge survey and gold was by far the #1 choice for people.

The FACT is that Tech's colors are and always have been White and Gold, not blue and anything. We were led to believe that the "new gold" would be available by Adidas, so if they can't produce it as promised, then somebody lied. And if they can't come up with "new gold" apparel, then ditch the "new gold" and come up with a shade of gold that they can readily produce.

 

[chris975d]

I know this. We've all talked about that exact thing several times. Thats why a lot of us are frustrated with how much we are promoting navy. None of what you said changes the fact GT is the white and gold and just because adidas has more blue in stock, that doesnt mean it now needs to be our main color for anything. I mean GT just did a huge survey and gold was by far the #1 choice for people.

Again, I get it. The survey was for the die hard GT fans/donors/supporters. Of course we will prefer white and gold, we are the ones that go to the games and know the history, traditions, etc. But the sidewalk fan doesn’t, and they don’t want to wear gold. Numbers don’t lie. If gold sold well and was worth it for the manufacturers, they’d make more of it. We need to do our job and continue to buy more of it and make it worthwhile.

 

[Supersizethatorder-mutt]

Again, I get it. The survey was for the die hard GT fans/donors/supporters. Of course we will prefer white and gold, we are the ones that go to the games and know the history, traditions, etc. But the sidewalk fan doesn’t, and they don’t want to wear gold. Numbers don’t lie. If gold sold well and was worth it for the manufacturers, they’d make more of it. We need to do our job and continue to buy more of it and make it worthwhile.

I can assure you I will never buy anything in blue for Tech.

 

[Gold1]

Again, I get it. The survey was for the die hard GT fans/donors/supporters. Of course we will prefer white and gold, we are the ones that go to the games and know the history, traditions, etc. But the sidewalk fan doesn’t, and they don’t want to wear gold. Numbers don’t lie. If gold sold well and was worth it for the manufacturers, they’d make more of it. We need to do our job and continue to buy more of it and make it worthwhile.

Lol you can’t just talk in absolutes like that. Adidas has way more of blue in stock so of course they sell more blue. It’s cheaper to make and more readily available. That DOES NOT mean the fanbase wants blue as our main color. There is no correlation

 

[chris975d]

Lol you can’t just talk in absolutes like that. Adidas has way more of blue in stock so of course they sell more blue. It’s cheaper to make and more readily available. That DOES NOT mean the fanbase wants blue as our main color. There is no correlation

Okie dokie. Again, I’ve talked to reps about it, but what do I or they know, right? But in the end, what matters is that if we want more gold apparel, it will have to be worth their time to make it. And the only way that happens is that the sales numbers of gold apparel rise.

 

[JacketOff]

Lol you can’t just talk in absolutes like that. Adidas has way more of blue in stock so of course they sell more blue. It’s cheaper to make and more readily available. That DOES NOT mean the fanbase wants blue as our main color. There is no correlation

I don’t think anybody is saying the fan base wants blue as the “main” color. The argument here is that more people would rather wear navy than gold on an everyday basis. This is true for most team apparel, whether you believe it or not. However, most fan bases do wear the “primary” color to games. Nobody wants to wear bright red, orange, yellow, gold, etc. that includes Tech fans. Most team shops offer more options in colors that aren’t as garish as most primary colors are. Examples:

• Alabama: a ton of gray with some black and white. A lot of faded out crimson to stand out less: https://www.universitysupplystore.com/shop_product_list.asp?catalog_id=454&catalog_name=VC1TaGlydHM
• Georgia: lots of black, gray, and white. A good mix of red, but still probably 50-50 red vs. everything else at most. https://shop.georgiadogs.com/georgia-bulldogs/t-shirts/t-45848885+d-08886880+z-86-2442026738
• Tennessee: a common theme here. A lot of gray, black, and white. More secondary color options than orange. Nobody wants to wear bright orange on a daily basis. https://shop.utsports.com/tennessee-volunteers/t-shirts/t-35240723+d-20888057+z-994-2553027878
• Clemson: a lot of purple, gray, white, and some black. More orange offerings than Tennessee, but still maybe only 50-50 orange vs. everything else. https://shop.clemsontigers.com/clem...ts/t-12261297+ga-89+d-75001357+z-96-538144089
  
• Miami: added them for an adidas comparison. More black than anything. Hardly any orange, about the same amount of green as white and gray. https://www.shopmiamihurricanes.com/miami-hurricanes/t-shirts/t-78200515+d-75333580+z-88-1694328970
• Wake Forest: added to compare gold presence. There’s basically none. Almost exclusively black, which makes sense because black is a popular retail color anyway. Some white and gray, but probably close to 90% black or dark gray. https://www.wakeforestshop.com/wake...shirts/t-24482292+d-20445780+z-989-3994630135
• Georgia Tech: mostly Navy. Some gray, very little gold or white. I will say, there definitely needs to be more white and gold available, but if people don’t buy, there’s no reason stores should sell it. https://www.ramblinwreckstore.com/g...ageSize=72&pageNumber=2&sortOption=TopSellers
• Missouri: another gold/yellow comparison. Basically no gold/yellow, a ton of black https://www.fanatics.com/college/missouri-tigers/t-shirts/o-27+t-45422083+d-64335724+z-93-3893985644
• Florida State: gold comparison. Non existent. Although, there’s more garnet than Bama has crimson https://shop.seminoles.com/florida-state-seminoles/t-shirts/t-45389609+d-08114602+z-87-620546197

 

[Supersizethatorder-mutt]

I don’t think anybody is saying the fan base wants blue as the “main” color. The argument here is that more people would rather wear navy than gold on an everyday basis. This is true for most team apparel, whether you believe it or not. However, most fan bases do wear the “primary” color to games. Nobody wants to wear bright red, orange, yellow, gold, etc. that includes Tech fans. Most team shops offer more options in colors that aren’t as garish as most primary colors are. Examples:

• Alabama: a ton of gray with some black and white. A lot of faded out crimson to stand out less: https://www.universitysupplystore.com/shop_product_list.asp?catalog_id=454&catalog_name=VC1TaGlydHM
• Georgia: lots of black, gray, and white. A good mix of red, but still probably 50-50 red vs. everything else at most. https://shop.georgiadogs.com/georgia-bulldogs/t-shirts/t-45848885+d-08886880+z-86-2442026738
• Tennessee: a common theme here. A lot of gray, black, and white. More secondary color options than orange. Nobody wants to wear bright orange on a daily basis. https://shop.utsports.com/tennessee-volunteers/t-shirts/t-35240723+d-20888057+z-994-2553027878
• Clemson: a lot of purple, gray, white, and some black. More orange offerings than Tennessee, but still maybe only 50-50 orange vs. everything else. https://shop.clemsontigers.com/clem...ts/t-12261297+ga-89+d-75001357+z-96-538144089
  
• Miami: added them for an adidas comparison. More black than anything. Hardly any orange, about the same amount of green as white and gray. https://www.shopmiamihurricanes.com/miami-hurricanes/t-shirts/t-78200515+d-75333580+z-88-1694328970
• Wake Forest: added to compare gold presence. There’s basically none. Almost exclusively black, which makes sense because black is a popular retail color anyway. Some white and gray, but probably close to 90% black or dark gray. https://www.wakeforestshop.com/wake...shirts/t-24482292+d-20445780+z-989-3994630135
• Georgia Tech: mostly Navy. Some gray, very little gold or white. I will say, there definitely needs to be more white and gold available, but if people don’t buy, there’s no reason stores should sell it. https://www.ramblinwreckstore.com/g...ageSize=72&pageNumber=2&sortOption=TopSellers
• Missouri: another gold/yellow comparison. Basically no gold/yellow, a ton of black https://www.fanatics.com/college/missouri-tigers/t-shirts/o-27+t-45422083+d-64335724+z-93-3893985644
• Florida State: gold comparison. Non existent. Although, there’s more garnet than Bama has crimson https://shop.seminoles.com/florida-state-seminoles/t-shirts/t-45389609+d-08114602+z-87-620546197

My problem is that regardless of what fans of any school like for everyday wear, other fan bases wear the primary school color to games; Tech fans stubbornly do not. I personally have no problem wearing gold or yellow shirts for everyday wear, but I think white shirts overall look better. If people prefer to wear blue, then fine; I won't. But still Tech fans should wear some shade of gold to athletic events, just like Clemson and Tennessee fans wear orange, and Georgia fans wear red. And for whiteout games, they should wear white. BTW, I don't know about that 50-50 red for Georgia fans; all I see around town is red .... shirts, hoodies, sweaters, and caps. And most Clemson fans I see away from athletic events wear orange shirts, hoodies, sweaters and caps. IMO some shade of gold in everyday apparel looks a helluva lot better than orange or red.

 

[Gold1]

Okie dokie. Again, I’ve talked to reps about it, but what do I or they know, right? But in the end, what matters is that if we want more gold apparel, it will have to be worth their time to make it. And the only way that happens is that the sales numbers of gold apparel rise.

Just because Adidas carries more of a certain color has nothing to do with what color the fans want. But tbh that doesn’t matter because GT is white and gold either way

 

[chris975d]

Just because Adidas carries more of a certain color has nothing to do with what color the fans want. But tbh that doesn’t matter because GT is white and gold either way

You TRULY believe that a company that specializes in SELLING apparel is going to make a team’s apparel in colors they (the fans) don’t like or prefer? So you think that adidas is making lots of navy (surprise, most companies making GT stuff make the majority in navy), despite the majority of the fans not wanting that color? That’s not how it works at all. Look around you at any/all GT games. I guarantee you that you will see more navy (or any other dark/neutral color) than you will see gold. As supersize says above, GT fans don’t wear gold to games, almost to an embarrassing level compared to other teams’ fans that do wear their primary color to games. Go to a home basketball game. Almost every visiting team is wearing more of their primary color than GT fans are wearing gold.

Again, just to clarify, I DO prefer gold and buy the vast majority of my GT gear in it. But most of GT fans don’t. I can point to numerous manufacturers of collegiate gear and their sales reps to validate this. Actually, if you want the complete truth, GT gear (in the manufacturer’s and retail circles) doesn’t sell well at all, in any color. Many companies drop, or never pick up GT licensed gear at all. We (GT fans) are thought of as notoriously cheap and/or not supportive of our sports teams/school. GT apparel is almost always on apparel maker’s closeout lists (updated wholesale lists we get at the end of a product lifecycle) season after season, until some companies drop it altogether. Typically it’s only GT alums that buy much, and even then they don’t buy a lot. Compare that to even a sidewalk fan (no direct tie to the university) of UGA, Clemson, Alabama, Florida, Miami, ND, etc. Go into their homes and there’s stuff from their favorite team everywhere. UGA fans can wear a different article of clothing every day for a month it seems. Even people/fans that don’t make a lot of money. Same with those other schools.

Most GT people/fans don’t do that. I get comments all the time from friends and customers that I own (and sell at retail) “more Tech stuff than anyone has ever seen”. That’s kinda sad, as I don’t own THAT much of it, and it’s hard to find it to sell. I have more UGA, Clemson, and Bama stuff in the shop than GT.

 

[Gold1]

You TRULY believe that a company that specializes in SELLING apparel is going to make a team’s apparel in colors they (the fans) don’t like or prefer? So you think that adidas is making lots of navy (surprise, most companies making GT stuff make the majority in navy), despite the majority of the fans not wanting that color? That’s not how it works at all. Look around you at any/all GT games. I guarantee you that you will see more navy (or any other dark/neutral color) than you will see gold. As supersize says above, GT fans don’t wear gold to games, almost to an embarrassing level compared to other teams’ fans that do wear their primary color to games. Go to a home basketball game. Almost every visiting team is wearing more of their primary color than GT fans are wearing gold.

Again, just to clarify, I DO prefer gold and buy the vast majority of my GT gear in it. But most of GT fans don’t. I can point to numerous manufacturers of collegiate gear and their sales reps to validate this. Actually, if you want the complete truth, GT gear (in the manufacturer’s and retail circles) doesn’t sell well at all, in any color. Many companies drop, or never pick up GT licensed gear at all. We (GT fans) are thought of as notoriously cheap and/or not supportive of our sports teams/school. GT apparel is almost always on apparel maker’s closeout lists (updated wholesale lists we get at the end of a product lifecycle) season after season, until some companies drop it altogether. Typically it’s only GT alums that buy much, and even then they don’t buy a lot. Compare that to even a sidewalk fan (no direct tie to the university) of UGA, Clemson, Alabama, Florida, Miami, ND, etc. Go into their homes and there’s stuff from their favorite team everywhere. UGA fans can wear a different article of clothing every day for a month it seems. Even people/fans that don’t make a lot of money. Same with those other schools.

Most GT people/fans don’t do that. I get comments all the time from friends and customers that I own (and sell at retail) “more Tech stuff than anyone has ever seen”. That’s kinda sad, as I don’t own THAT much of it, and it’s hard to find it to sell. I have more UGA, Clemson, and Bama stuff in the shop than GT.

We’ve been over all these same things a thousand times and Tstan had a whole podcast about trying to convince Adidas to make more gold gear because that’s what the fans want. We aren’t another navy blue school. I’m sorry

 

[H-Wade]

There's no point in arguing with these two.. just let them keep complaining to each other and post updates about all our teams and students wearing blue apparel. At least it's contained to this thread now instead of popping up everywhere like it used to.

 

[chris975d]

We’ve been over all these same things a thousand times and Tstan had a whole podcast about trying to convince Adidas to make more gold gear because that’s what the fans want. We aren’t another navy blue school. I’m sorry

I get it. But a lot of it can be like anything else...the (relatively) few fans that want gold and don’t have it will typically be the most vocal/requesting it. Like anything else when you ask customers “what do you want?” The one’s getting it don’t usually say a lot, whereas the ones that aren’t, do. We (the gold wanting fans) are also typically the ones going to the games, involved with the sports teams, etc. At the same time, we are a VERY small group in terms of sales.

All I can say is that I’ve seen that gold doesn’t sell for 25 years in retail. The very, very few times a company offers apparel/accessories in GT, AND in gold, I bring it in, along side whatever dark/neutral color way they offer that item in. If I put a gold item out for sale beside a navy, charcoal, black, it even white otherwise identical item...guess which one almost never sells? Which one I have to close out? The gold.

In fact, most “GT fans” that didn’t attend school/have close ties with the school now actually think navy is our primary color, precisely because of the vast amounts of apparel and merch that’s made in it. I see/hear that all the time too. Perfect example is the white/gold Titleist golf cap that’s out this year. It’s one of the most perfectly executed GT items I’ve seen from a company. White, proper gold logos (not sand, not wheat or straw, not tan, not cheddar yellow) with matching Titleist script. I brought them in...haven’t sold a one. Know how many GT fans have picked it up and made a comment to the effect of “if that was blue, I’d buy it”? Most.

The point is...if GT gear sold, and if GT gear IN GOLD sold, and sold well, the companies would make it. Period. No apparel company is going to NOT make a colorway that they could sell out of.

 

[Gold1]

I get it. But a lot of it can be like anything else...the (relatively) few fans that want gold and don’t have it will typically be the most vocal/requesting it. Like anything else when you ask customers “what do you want?” The one’s getting it don’t usually say a lot, whereas the ones that aren’t, do. We (the gold wanting fans) are also typically the ones going to the games, involved with the sports teams, etc. At the same time, we are a VERY small group in terms of sales.

All I can say is that I’ve seen that gold doesn’t sell for 25 years in retail. The very, very few times a company offers apparel/accessories in GT, AND in gold, I bring it in, along side whatever dark/neutral color way they offer that item in. If I put a gold item out for sale beside a navy, charcoal, black, it even white otherwise identical item...guess which one almost never sells? Which one I have to close out? The gold.

In fact, most “GT fans” that didn’t attend school/have close ties with the school now actually think navy is our primary color, precisely because of the vast amounts of apparel and merch that’s made in it. I see/hear that all the time too. Perfect example is the white/gold Titleist golf cap that’s out this year. It’s one of the most perfectly executed GT items I’ve seen from a company. White, proper gold logos (not sand, not wheat or straw, not tan, not cheddar yellow) with matching Titleist script. I brought them in...haven’t sold a one. Know how many GT fans have picked it up and made a comment to the effect of “if that was blue, I’d buy it”? Most.

The point is...if GT gear sold, and if GT gear IN GOLD sold, and sold well, the companies would make it. Period. No apparel company is going to NOT make a colorway that they could sell out of.

Adidas barely even makes gold apparel so how in the world can it sell? That’s why a lot of people are asking for more. We aren’t going to agree lol

 

[GTjunkie]

If Adidas had the University of Texas uniform contract, would they use a readily available color, like navy or black?
Since, Burnt Orange and Old Gold are comparable.

 

[chris975d]

Adidas barely even makes gold apparel so how in the world can it sell? That’s why a lot of people are asking for more. We aren’t going to agree lol

Lol. No, we aren’t. But at least I’m speaking from the standpoint of actually talking with apparel makers, and from the point of view of retailing GT merch. Gold apparel isn’t made in high quantities for a reason.