UPDATE! Click here for the official dress code and where to buy uniform options.
On April 15, the Riordan Administration announced a new brand deal with the global clothing brand Adidas. With this partnership, Archbishop Riordan will join a select group of high schools from across the nation chosen to partner with the brand.
Meanwhile, Adidas continues the trend of partnering with popular high schools as a way to increase exposure.
In August 2025, they announced a sponsorship deal with over 41 Florida high schools. In a world where Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) deals have exploded onto the NCAA college athletics scene, extensions are entering into high school sports as well.
This sponsorship brings new opportunities for the entire school community.
As Vice President of Enrollment & Strategy, Danny Curtin ’08 said, “We’ve never had a brand deal this impactful. It’s a recognition of a lot of hard work and effort from our coaches and athletes.”
He added, “This type of brand deal gives you exclusivity, new and innovative apparel, and it allows everyday families to receive significant discounts from a worldwide recognized brand.”
In addition to fresh clothing to choose from on a day to day basis, athletic-wear is also getting a rebrand.
For the last several years, the Crusader athletes have been wearing jerseys designed by Nike, which received mixed reviews from students, especially participants in less mainstream sports.
As Varsity tennis player James McDonnell ’27 said, “Well for one, the jerseys (mainly the tops) seem kind of bland with only a Nike symbol and a Riordan insignia on the shirt.” But, he also added, “Maybe to improve the ‘blandness’ we can add last names to the back of the jersey like what SI does or add more colors so it looks more interesting.”
All of these perspectives will be taken into consideration as the redesign process begins.
With the new uniform designs comes a reform to the dress code. This topic has stirred up controversy over the last few weeks.
Administrators have advocated for it as a way to improve safety, while students and parents have cited economic concerns, and consider the change unnecessary.
Curtin said, “There’s two main reasons. From the administrative side, teachers and safety team, it’s really hard to identify who’s a Riordan student and who’s not. By having more identifiable Riordan items, it will make it easier for the people who are responsible for the kids’ safety.”
He added, “Our school colors are purple and gold. There’s a social benefit of being Riordan students; we really want to make sure that what we wear is our best representative of who we are as a school.”
Dean of Students Jennifer Niemeyer reiterated the sentiment, saying, “It will create a better sense of unity and make it much easier to manage students and faculty.”
She added, “The new dress code will make us look more distinct as a school, and allow us to embrace our school colors.”
Inversely, Angelene Amann ’28 stated, “I understand that the student body is going to be more unified, but it’s gonna cause a lot of discomfort.”
This discomfort prompted Amann and other impassioned students to create a petition to garner support. “My goal is to make a difference. We need support and combined with another form we have about 450 supporters. Having enough support will help us make a difference.”
This situation has led to discussions between students and administrators, with hopes for a compromise, specifically in regards to banning black pants.
Amann said, “Even some faculty agree that banning black is super unnecessary, and Mr. Curtin is open to hearing us out.”
The administration sees this deal as bringing a new era to Archbishop Riordan High School.
