Gold. Yellow. Cream. Beige.

Just some of the suggestions as Heart of Midlothian fans speculated about the colour of the club's new away kit before it was officially unveiled on Thursday morning.

It is none of those colours. Or maybe all of them but the correct answer is in fact custard cream. That's the base layer colour used by Umbro.

The club's official website described it as a "striking top" which is "resplendently finished in the colour of the historic Tynecastle Park mosaic – one of the surviving remnants of the iconic Archibald Leitch Main Stand".

READ MORE: Behind the scenes of the Hearts 150th anniversary kit launch

Whatever people see the colour as the kit itself is funky. It is completely different to anything that has come before and no doubt one that will split opinion. That's exactly what the change kit should be. Different. A bit out there.

Prediction: It will become one of the most loved away kits when we come to looking back on it in the same way we do with the kits of the 90s and 00s.

Each diamond on the new away kit features kits of the past and it acts as part of Umbro's centenary. Some fans will have noticed the new Umbro logo changed for the anniversary.

The strip, which went on sale at noon, follows on from the home kit's unveiling at the end of May, inspired by one from the mid-90s but with a modern twist. It has already gone down really well with supporters, according to the club's commercial director Cat McCallum.

"Sales have been excellent," she told Hearts Standard.

Coming up with new versions of the home kit is a trickier task compared to the change kits with only so many variations of maroon that can be done, does it have a collar and how much white is incorporated are a couple of aspects which are always considered. 

"With us still being in the sesquicentennial it is about having a little bit of a historical nod but having something that is much more modern," McCallum explained.

"The kit it refers back to was much more striped than the one we have got in terms of the colour differential. It was really something that had a historical nod but with a modern edge to it. 

"We have tried to push the away and third kits the last few seasons."

This campaign is the final year of the current partnership with Hearts and Umbro. It has been a strong relationship across the last eight seasons as demonstrated by the collaboration for this year's away kit and the special 150th anniversary kit which the club wanted to ensure was perfect. That will remain on sale.

"Genuinely it is always a really collaborative process, you don’t get pushed down any particular route," McCallum said. 

"We have worked with Umbro for a really long time. They were so good with us for our 150th kit and the direction we wanted to take with that. We were really happy to collaborate and support them on their centenary."

READ MORE: Who are Hearts sponsors Stellar Omada: The IT company with Strongbow aim

The process for a new kit often begins over a year in advance. As part of that journey, there were discussions with Stellar Omada, the Edinburgh IT company that entered into a record-breaking three-year agreement to become the front-of-shirt sponsor, the biggest commercial kit deal in the club's history.

It centred around the company's logo which underwent a rebrand ahead of the launch of the new home kit. It is one of the many elements that need to be considered for a new strip.

"The Stellar Omada deal is a massive deal for us," McCallum said. "We are really happy to be working with them. We’ve got such a close partnership with Stellar, it has grown over the last few seasons. They have really grown which is why they are in the position to do this.

"We worked a lot with Stellar on the rebrand. All their new logos and that kind of stuff was a very much collaborative process. We have to talk to the sponsors about the colours of logos on kits because we are always keen to keep the kit logos the same colour so the kit can look as clean and aesthetically pleasing as possible."

JD deal

Now, some Hearts fans may already be aware of a significant change in terms of buying the new kits. They will have noted the presence of Hearts strips, alongside Celtic, Rangers and Scotland in JD Sports. Whether it is at Fort Kinnaird, St James' Quarter or Edinburgh and Glasgow airports.

The club have struck a deal with the retailer to increase the presence of the club. 

"It is part of the evolution and the growth of the club," McCallum noted. "We should be in JD Sports next to the Old Firm and Scotland.

"It’s something I have been really keen to look at. We’ve done pop-up shops in the St James’ Quarter around Christmas. Trying to get the Hearts kit to a wider audience is something that I’ve been wanting to do for a while. We have looked at various options like retail premises but that’s expensive to do and needs a lot of staff.

"The theory was to try and work with one of the bigger outlets. JD is the market leader and has great visual storefronts throughout Scotland and the UK. It was just a very open and honest discussion with JD, talking about what our kits were going to look like, what the future is with kit suppliers going forward and stuff like that.

"We came to an agreement and we're delighted with it."

(Image: SNS)

For several years, fans have had to purchase kits by visiting the club store at Tynecastle Park or online via the Hearts or Umbro website. Now there are more opportunities to do so. But it also broadens the club's reach, targeting new markets.

Edinburgh is one of the most popular cities in Europe for tourists to visit. It is now easier than ever for them to buy the strip of the Captial's biggest football club.

Already they have proven to be popular, especially at Edinburgh airport.

"It’s nice to be able to see a Hearts top in the window of JD Sport in Edinburgh," McCallum said. "It allows Hearts fans throughout Scotland to buy it somewhere else if you don’t buy it online or come to the shop but for me, it feels like it's a different market we will pick up with that.

"I travelled a lot in my last job, I travel a lot in this job and I very rarely come back without a football top for my daughter or husband. I think it is something people like to buy and we have not been giving people that option before.

"The deal with JD gives us much more reach. You are picking up a different market of people so I don’t think it will impact our own retail sales per se but I think it will just augment them with a different market."

It now means there is a greater chance for the new Hearts kits to be worn in Gothenburg and Guadalajara, as well as Gorgie.