THE Vancouver Bandits unveiled Thursday a new logo and jersey designed in collaboration with artist Sandeep Johal to celebrate South Asian culture and to be worn this upcoming Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) season.
The jersey will be debuted in conjunction with the Bandits’ first-ever ‘South Asian Heritage’ theme game, taking place on Saturday, June 1 when Vancouver takes on the Calgary Surge in a rematch of last year’s tightly contested western conference finals matchup.
The highly anticipated June 1 game will include various pre-game and in-game entertainment and production activations designed to showcase the beauty and culture of South Asia.
Adding to the various exciting facets of the game day is the debut of the new jersey, which features a custom logo designed by Johal to honour South Asian artistic traditions and design techniques.
“It’s a celebration of being South Asian. It’s a celebration of our culture. It’s very vibrant. It’s very joyful. It’s very colorful and I bring that into my work a lot. I leaned into Phulkari, which is folk embroidery from Punjab,” Johal said.
“When you see your culture being represented at such a grand scale, it makes you feel like you have the ability to be a part of that and that maybe this space is for you. I’m loving this shift, where we’re seeing organizations open up those spaces for all of us.”
The Bandits’ sixth CEBL campaign marks the first time that the club will host a theme game focused on bringing fans closer to the history, style and artistry of South Asia, which has grown to be an important part of British Columbia’s cultural fabric. As of 2021, 9.6 per cent of the province’s population is South Asian, according to Statistics Canada.
Johal’s rendition of the Bandits’ logo champions a pink colour for the eye mask to evoke a sense of energy and passion. Central to her style is the use of the eye, which has been lengthened and defined to create a focal point.
Further enhancing the reimagined logo is the incorporation of a paisley illustration, which takes its inspiration from a common pattern often seen in sari borders or different textiles. The use of paisley, or “ambi” in Punjabi, pays tribute to a popular motif in South Asian design.
“Over the past few seasons we have had it in our plans to unveil a Vancouver Bandits South Asian Heritage Game. Through the support and encouragement from our fans, we are excited to unveil this inaugural event, which is bolstered by a special jersey designed by Sandeep Johal that represents the cultural diversity of the South Asian community in British Columbia,” said Bandits team president Dylan Kular.
Tickets for the game are on sale now at this link. Adult and youth sizes of the jersey are now available for sale as well.
The Vancouver Bandits open the club’s sixth season when the club tips off on May 23rd at 7 p.m. for its highly anticipated home opener against the Montréal Alliance.
Vancouver will play a total of 10 regular season home games in 2024 between Thursday, May 23 and Thursday, July 18. The Bandits wrap up regular season action on the road against Montréal on Sunday, July 28 at 1 p.m. PT.
More information can be found at thebandits.ca/tickets or by speaking with a Bandits representative by calling (604) 455-8881 or emailing tickets@thebandits.ca.
A complete regular season schedule can be found by clicking here. More information is available at thebandits.ca and @vancouverbandits on Instagram and TikTok, as well as @vancitybandits on Facebook and Twitter.
