Calling anything from the Seattle Kraken "vintage" deserves a small smile. The team played its first NHL season in the early twenties of this century, which means the oldest official Kraken hoodie is younger than plenty of the phones still in people's pockets. If you walk into a vintage store expecting a faded Kraken crewneck from the nineties, you will be waiting a very long time.
But the question behind the search is a good one. People who love the Kraken's deep blues and that sly tentacled "S" often want something with more history than a brand-new shirt. The honest answer is that vintage Seattle Kraken style comes from three places: the city's surprisingly old hockey story, the wider Pacific Northwest sports wardrobe, and the team's own early merchandise, which is quietly becoming the collectible of the future.
01. A young team in an old hockey city
Seattle has a far deeper hockey past than its NHL start date suggests. Back in 1917, the Seattle Metropolitans of the Pacific Coast Hockey Association won the Stanley Cup, becoming the first American team to do so. That early era, when western professional teams battled for the Cup against eastern clubs, is one of the great chapters of hockey history, and it ties Seattle closely to Canadian hockey, since many of the players and rival clubs came from north of the border.
Later decades brought minor professional and junior hockey, most famously the Seattle Totems in the mid-century years and later the city's major junior club in the Western Hockey League. These teams kept the sport alive in the region for generations, and their crests, pennants and occasional jerseys turn up among collectors who love regional hockey ephemera.
For anyone wanting vintage NHL apparel with a Seattle flavour, these older names are where genuine age lives. They are rare and turn up far less often than everyday sportswear, but knowing about them gives context to the Kraken, whose arrival was as much about continuing a story as starting a new one.
02. Reading the Kraken's colours
The Kraken's palette is built around several shades of blue: a very deep navy-like blue, a pale ice blue and brighter mid-tones, with a vivid red reserved for small details such as the eye in the logo. The primary mark is a stylised "S" with a tentacle curling through it, and an anchor-shaped secondary mark nods to the city's maritime history. It is a calm, oceanic palette, quite different from the bold primaries of many older franchises.
It is also a palette that suits the city. Seattle's grey skies, dark water and evergreen hills all show up in those blues, and the team's identity leans into the idea of something lurking beneath the surface of Puget Sound. That sense of place is part of what makes Kraken clothing feel more grounded than a lot of modern sports branding, and it gives you a clear direction when choosing what to wear alongside it.
That calm is good news for everyday dressing. Deep blue behaves almost like navy, and pale blue is gentle and easy to pair. Kraken pieces slide into a wardrobe of denim, grey and cream without much effort. The red accent should usually stay small, which is exactly how the team uses it.
Because the palette is so watery, vintage pieces in similar tones combine beautifully with it. A faded navy work jacket, a washed-out teal sweatshirt or a cream fisherman knit all feel at home alongside a Kraken hoodie, even though none of them have anything to do with hockey.
03. The early years as tomorrow's vintage
Every franchise has an inaugural era, and those first-season pieces are often what collectors chase decades later. Think about how much interest surrounds the earliest merchandise from teams that arrived in the nineties. The same may well happen with the Kraken. Clothing marking the team's first season, its first home games or its early playoff appearances already has a sense of occasion about it.
The Kraken reached the playoffs in only their second season and won a memorable first-round series against the defending champions, which gave early fans a genuine highlight to remember. Pieces from around that time capture the excitement of a young club finding its feet.
If you buy early Kraken clothing now, buy it to wear, not as an investment. Mass-produced retail merchandise rarely becomes scarce in the way older, smaller runs did. But wearing a first-season hoodie for years, letting it soften and fade, is exactly how a piece becomes personal vintage. The patina is something you build yourself.
A few habits help early pieces age into something worth keeping. Choose items with stitched or embroidered details over large heat-transferred graphics, which tend to crack and peel rather than fade gracefully. Keep any hang tags or commemorative inserts in a drawer, since they add context later. And if you have a choice between colourways, the deep blue pieces usually wear in more gracefully than the pale ones, which can show marks quickly.
Every vintage piece was new once. Some of them just had the luck of being worn by someone who kept them.
04. Borrowing from Seattle's sporting past
Seattle's wider sports history offers plenty of genuinely vintage pieces that sit naturally next to Kraken gear. The SuperSonics, who played basketball in the city for four decades before relocating at the end of the two-thousands, left a huge wardrobe of green and gold clothing, and their old arena was rebuilt into the Kraken's home. That connection gives Sonics pieces a special resonance for Kraken fans.
Seattle's baseball and football teams also have long vintage histories, with eighties and nineties pieces in their own distinctive colours. Mixing eras and sports from one city is an easy way to build a regional look. A Sonics tee under a Kraken jacket, for example, feels like a love letter to Seattle rather than a clash of teams.
Then there is the rivalry closest to home for Canadian readers. Vancouver sits just up the coast, and the Canucks are a natural regional rival. Fans of both teams often share a taste for Pacific Northwest outdoor clothing, so it is no surprise that the most convincing Kraken outfits often borrow from that wardrobe.
05. The Pacific Northwest wardrobe
Seattle's rainy, mild climate has shaped a recognisable way of dressing: practical, layered and a little rugged. That style suits Kraken colours perfectly. Vintage pieces worth looking for include:
- Waxed or canvas jackets. In olive, tan or navy, with corduroy collars and plenty of pockets.
- Wool flannels and overshirts. Plaids in blues, greens and greys pair especially well with team colours.
- Fishermen's knits. Cream or navy cable sweaters that echo the city's maritime heritage.
- Lightweight shells and anoraks. Nineties outdoor rain jackets in muted or teal tones.
- Knit watch caps. A simple navy or charcoal beanie fits the look perfectly.
None of these need logos to work. In fact, they are at their best as a quiet backdrop for one Kraken piece. That balance, one team item supported by thoughtful vintage basics, is what gives a young team's gear a sense of age and character.
06. Styling the Kraken with vintage
Start with a deep blue Kraken hoodie and build around it. Wear it under a tan canvas jacket with straight, mid-wash jeans and leather boots, and you have an outfit that looks equally right in Toronto or Seattle on a grey afternoon. Swap the jacket for a navy and green plaid overshirt for something softer.
A pale blue Kraken tee looks lovely under a cream knit cardigan, with olive trousers and white sneakers. If you own a red accessory, such as a beanie or a pair of socks, use it sparingly to echo the eye in the logo. Too much red takes over; a touch feels clever.
For game nights, pair a Kraken jersey with a heavy hoodie underneath and a waxed jacket over the top. It keeps the sporty piece grounded and gives you layers to shed in a warm arena.
07. Buying and caring for modern pieces
Because Kraken clothing is recent, condition is usually easier to judge. Still, check heat-pressed logos for lifting edges, look at hood drawstrings and cuffs for early wear, and make sure jerseys have their crests stitched cleanly. Many modern pieces use polyester blends that do not fade the way cotton does, so if you want a softer, lived-in look, choose cotton or cotton-rich fleece.
To help a new piece age well, wash it cold, inside out and less often than you think. Air drying protects prints and keeps fleece from pilling. Over a few years, a cotton hoodie treated this way will develop the gentle fade that older team pieces have, which is exactly the effect most people are after.
When you do find older Seattle hockey items, such as pennants, crests or regional jerseys, handle them with more caution and seek advice from a specialist cleaner before washing anything delicate.
08. A collection with room to grow
The appeal of following a young team is that you are present for its whole history. The vintage Seattle Kraken pieces of the future are being worn right now, and some of them will be yours. In the meantime, the city's older hockey stories and its rugged regional wardrobe give you plenty to explore.
Pacific Northwest outerwear, plaid flannels and sportswear from many leagues pass through our Queen St and Square One stores with new drops weekly. Pick up a piece that fits your life, pair it with a Kraken hoodie you already love, and give it a few seasons. By the time anyone calls it vintage, it will already feel like it has always been yours.
