Vasco da Gama’s new kit honors its anti-racist legacy with a sweat-activated design

With the design for its 2024-25 shirts, Rio de Janeiro-based soccer club Vasco da Gama is spotlighting its anti-racist heritage. When the jerseys come in contact with sweat or water, they reveal excerpts from a landmark 1924 letter in which the club’s then-president José Augusto Prestes took a bold stand against racism and classism in Brazilian soccer.

Known as the Resposta Histórica, the letter was written after a newly formed league demanded Vasco exclude 12 working-class Black and mixed-race players from its championship-winning team — a demand the club firmly rejected, choosing instead to withdraw from the league entirely.

The jersey’s reveal mechanism creates a powerful connection between the physical effort of today’s players and fans — soaked in sweat after a game or a hot day in Rio — and the club’s century-old commitment to equality and inclusion. As soccer continues to grapple with racism globally, Vasco da Gama's innovative design serves as both a celebration of a specific club’s progressive legacy and a reminder that the fight for equity in sports remains ongoing.