Jackson Bayer returns to Long Island for his newest concept as he develops a new look for the Islanders, inspired by this year’s Reverse Retro look. He writes:

Two things came to me after seeing the Islanders’ second Reverse Retro. First, their color scheme looks really good in navy blue as it makes the orange POP! I was thrilled that the team switched back to their original uniforms in 2010. However, I feel my animosity toward the navy blue uniforms growing up was due to their poor execution (see the 2007-08 Reebok Edge uniforms). Both Reverse Retros have shown that navy blue looks outstanding while on a different template.

My second realization regarding the Fisherman uniforms is that the concept itself isn’t 100% irredeemable for the purposes of modern style. While the original wave was iconic, the Reverse Retro 2.0 (even with its production faults) illustrates that the wave can be reformed in a manner that makes it more appropriate for a modern Islanders jersey.

In these concepts, I took a few of the elements of the Islanders’ traditional uniform history and mixed them with the Fisherman jersey. The team’s current striping format is combined with that of the 1980s and early 2000s dark uniforms but with a twist as it is given a subtle wave. The Reverse Retro font remains but in itself harkens back to distinct eras of Islanders’ history. The numbers on the road jersey mimic the color and outlining of the Islanders’ early 2000s white uniforms, famously worn during the team’s dramatic playoff matchup against the Maple Leafs in 2002.

The blue cuffs and waist on the away jersey return, a feature not seen since the Fisherman era. The traditional Islanders pants remain, although recolored. The helmets, in lieu of advertisements, use the “Isles” wordmark pushed by the team in the 2018 offseason but never officially adopted.