RK Vardar was founded in 1961 as a part of the Vardar Sports Club in
Skopje, which was founded in 1947. The RK Grafichar Skopje club was established in 1948, and second only to
HC Rabotnichki. In 1961, Grafichar was renamed Vardar, and almost all members of RK Partizan Skopje joined the team. The emergence of the ambitious Vardar team presented a challenge to
HC Rabotnichki, which was no longer the strong first-league team from the past. Early members of Vardar include goalkeeper Jovanovski, as well as Atanasovski, Zdravkovski,
Savevski and Bozinovski. Vardar joined the
Yugoslav Handball Championship in 1976 where played for 2 seasons. In the 1980s they spent most of the time in the second division. The handball team rose to power again in the late 1990s, becoming one of two clubs, alongside
RK Pelister, to dominate the Macedonian handball scene after the independence of the country. Vardar has participated in the
EHF Champions League eleven times and made it to the semifinals of the
Cup Winner's Cup three times. The club achieved either championship or runner-up status in the Macedonian Super League every since 1999, with the exception of 2005, where they finished 4th. In 2018 they became the most winning team in the Macedonian handball championship by winning their twelfth title. They are also the record cup winner with thirteen titles. On April 15, 2012, Vardar defeated
Metalurg at the
Zagreb Arena to become the first
SEHA League champion. The team has won five titles in the
SEHA League. The club started the new 2013–14 season with a new management structure, with
Sergey Samsonenko as the new proprietor and sports director of the club, and
Mihajlo Mihajlovski as the honorary club chairman. The 2016–17 season was the most successful for the team, as they won the
EHF Champions League and the regional
SEHA League, the two main domestic championships, the national
Handball Super League, and the national
Handball Cup. Two days after winning the
EHF Champions League, the team celebrated the victory with approximately 150,000 people in a ceremony in
Macedonia Square in Skopje. Because of the huge success the current
President of the Republic of Macedonia,
Gjorgje Ivanov awarded the members of the handball club Vardar a Medal of Merit for the Republic of North Macedonia for the results they achieved, especially for winning the
Champions League title. The club was awarded the national charter of the country. In the
2018–19 season, the team won the
EHF Champions League, the regional
SEHA League and the main domestic championship, the
Handball Super League of North Macedonia. One day after winning the
EHF Champions League, the team arrived in the country with a private jet and celebrated the victory with approximately 250,000 people in a central ceremony at Macedonia Square in Skopje. In 2023 they won the Macedonian cup. The final match was a between the heavyweights Vardar and Eurofarm, held at
Ohrids SRC Biljanini Izvori. In this great festive atmosphere, both teams gave an outstanding performance. The first half went to the Red Army, leaving the score at 15 to 10. In the second half, Eurofarm fought hard for a comeback, and the game went into overtime. In the end, due in large part to a brilliant performance by long-time goalkeeper Borko Ristovski, Vardar won 26 to 25, adding a 16th Cup Trophy to their rich collection. At the beginning of the 2023–24 season, the Red Black Army won the Super Cup 2023 against then-champions Eurofarm in Strumitsa Sports Center, a neutral ground chosen for the occasion. The first half finished in a 13–13 tie, but in the second half, Vardar made a resurgence and won the match 26 to 30. The Super Cup Trophy returned after 3 years to the home of the Red Black Jane Sandansky's trophy collection. ==Kits==