 West Bromwich Albion have played in navy blue and white striped shirts for the majority of their existence , usually with white shorts and white socks . The team is occasionally referred to as the Stripes by supporters . A number of different colours were trialled during the club 's formative years however , including cardinal red and blue quarters in 1880 – 81 , yellow and white quarters in 1881 – 82 , chocolate and blue halves in 1881 – 82 and 1882 – 83 , red and white hoops in 1882 – 83 , chocolate and white in 1883 – 84 and cardinal red and blue halves in 1884 – 85 . The blue and white stripes made their first appearance in the 1885 – 86 season , although at that time they were of a lighter shade of blue ; the navy blue stripes did not appear until after the First World War . For the regional leagues played during the Second World War , Albion were forced to switch to all @-@ blue shirts , as rationing meant that striped material was considered a luxury . 
