More UK basketball denim apparel will soon be available. Here’s how to buy it
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- The likes of Converse, Nike and Homefield are all releasing new denim merch for UK fans.
- The Wildcats wore iconic denim uniforms during the 1995-96 season.
- Mark Pope’s 2025-26 UK team wore a special retro denim uniform in a win over Tennessee.
Kentucky basketball fans have already gotten a taste of a denim revival this season.
In February, UK rocked special retro denim uniforms for a home win over Tennessee as a throwback to the threads worn during the 1995-96 national championship season. That’s the season that current UK coach Mark Pope served as a co-captain for the champion Cats. And that Feb. 7 home win over the Volunteers served as a 30th anniversary celebration for“the Untouchables” at Rupp Arena.
This celebration included all manner of fresh denim apparel for fans to buy. Now, more is on the way.
Converse — which was the UK program’s apparel sponsor for the 1995-96 season that featured denim uniforms — has produced a special “Kentucky Denim” shoe that will be available for purchase on the Nike SNKRS app Friday.
Converse was replaced by Nike as UK’s apparel partner in 1997. Converse filed for bankruptcy in 2001 and was then acquired by Nike in 2003.
That’s not the only piece of denim apparel set for widespread release Friday on the Nike SNKRS app.
Also dropping are a denim-themed jersey and shorts. Both white and blue colorways of the jersey and shorts are available.
The jersey is $120. The shorts are $80. The “Kentucky Denim” shoes are $130. All will be available Friday morning.
These items have previously been on sale at Lexington store Oneness.
Additionally, a famed college sports retailer is getting in on the denim act.
Homefield — an Indiana-based company known for is distinct college sports apparel — is releasing a “1996 Kentucky Denim Collection.” Among the items teased by the company as part of this collection are a denim-themed hat and a denim shirt featuring a retro Kentucky logo.
This isn’t the first time Homefield has waded into the world of Kentucky hoops. Homefield already sells some 80 UK products, including several pieces referencing the 1995-96 NCAA championship team.
And as if this wasn’t enough, UK fans have another special denim product to look forward to this month.
Back in February, ex-Cat Devin Booker released a special denim version of his signature shoe with Nike. The “Nike Book 2 Must Be The Denim” shoes were given to members of the UK basketball team, and a limited number of pairs were available to fans at a pop-up event near Rupp Arena.
Now, the shoes will soon be released to the public. They will be available for purchase starting March 20, during the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
According to Sole Retriever, the shoes will be released through Nike and select retailers both in-store and online. The shoes will cost $145.
