The Olympics are coming to the fashion capital. Expect Paris runway-worthy uniforms
Paris: Of course, they call it the City of Light. But Paris is also a city of fashion, one of the world's most influential fashion capitals for decades, nay, centuries (remember Louis XIV?).
So it's no surprise that fashion designers around the world are busy preparing their national team uniforms for their unique spotlight. When it comes to high-end Olympic fashion—be it for the opening ceremony, or for the competition—all runways lead to Paris.
Stella Jean will be there, styling the dozen or so Haitian athletes themselves. Jeanne, an Italian-Haitian designer based in Rome, takes exactly two seconds to make an impression on the world on opening night – an impression that can be repeated for years. “For these athletes, just being here is a victory,” says Jean, whose vibrant, colorful design is intended to highlight the Caribbean nation's cultural vibrancy.
At the other end of the size (and budget) spectrum is Ralph Lauren, which will outfit hundreds of Team USA players for the ninth straight Opening and Closing Ceremonies. Presenting a casual look of blue jeans and a blazer, Lauren is certainly one of the richest designers in the world, along with Giorgio Armani, who has been designing Italy's uniform since 2012.
Countless other designers have gotten involved — including, this year, more young, “indie” labels eager to make a splash. It's also an opportunity to emphasize qualities like sustainability and adaptability in fashion, even in designs for the Paralympics.
“Designers and manufacturers now realize that this can be a huge platform for them to do a lot of things,” says Alison Brown, who co-hosts the podcast on all things Olympic, “Keep the Fire Alive.” For example: “Sustainability is a big buzzword for this whole Olympics now,” she says.
And so is style—because, well, Paris.
“You always want to represent your country, and you want to represent the players. But this time there seems to be more pressure to do well,” Brown says.
Some emerging details on various uniform designs:
Canada: Focus on inclusiveness, adaptability
During the design process, Lululemon's team, outfitting the Canadian athletes for the second time, listened carefully to the athletes, and told them how they felt in the clothes. “When you feel your best, you perform your best,” says Audrey Reilly, creative director for Team Canada at the athletic apparel company.
She heard from Paralympian Alison Levine, who uses a wheelchair, and there was nothing suitable for an athlete to train with – so she wore medical scrubs.
“I was shocked that a professional athlete would do that,” Reilly said in an interview. So we said, “Let's investigate.” One result was the “Sitting Carpenter Pants,” part of a collection intended to be inclusive and adaptable. Other features include special closures for easy on and off, and knee pockets so an athlete like Levine can access his phone while training.
This collection covers all aspects of Team Canada's journey, from travel to games, opening and medal ceremonies, to training — everything but competition. To combat the expected Paris heat, Lululemon, which has a four-game contract with the team, paid special attention to ventilation and wicking.
And for the opening ceremony, the designers created what they called a “tapestry of pride.” Hand-drawn and engineered into fabric, it includes 10 animals – nine representing Canadian provinces and one representing France. “We wanted to wake up all of Canada, coast to coast and north to south,” says Reilly.
Haiti: “They know their bodies are flags”
Stella Jean has a habit of designing beautiful clothes. But beauty for beauty's sake was not considered in his designs for the Haitian team. It was all about the message.
“This will be the first good news from Haiti in at least three years,” she says, adding that the athletes' presence is a counter-message to news about political turmoil, poverty or natural disasters. “So, I felt a responsibility to say as much as I could about the country.”
To that end, Jean is collaborating with Haitian artist Philippe Dodard, whose vibrant paintings will be incorporated into formal uniforms – brightly colored skirts for women and pants for men, paired with traditional items such as chambray shirts. The designs are constructed from “leftover” fabric—sustainability, yes, but not because it's trendy, Jean says, but in Haiti it's both tradition and necessity.
Jean called the Haitian players “ambassadors.”
“These ambassadors will be in Paris,” she says, “and they all know, even though they're young, how important their presence is—and it's not just about performance. They know their bodies are flags.”
USA: “Nothing Says America Like Blue Jeans”
For last summer's games in Tokyo, Ralph Lauren outfitted the athletes with fun things—literally—with technology that directs heat away through a fan device behind the neck.
For steamy Paris, he's introducing another kind of cool: good old American jeans.
“Nothing says America like blue jeans, especially when we're in Paris,” said David Lauren, the label's chief branding and innovation officer and son of the founder, after unveiling the design in June.
For his ninth time dressing Team USA for the opening and closing ceremonies, Ralph Lauren says it will fit each player individually. For the opening ceremony they'll be wearing blue and white striped oxford shirts – and navy blazers with those blue jeans.
For the closing ceremony, the team will wear white jeans with matching jackets in red, white and blue. Lauren called the closing ceremony “more graphic, more fun, a little more exciting.”
India: A Blend of Old and New
Indian designer Tarun Tahiliani is known for his ability to blend traditional elements with a modern sensibility. And that's what he and his menswear brand Tasva have tried for his country's Olympic team.
Tahiliani told GQ India that when he began researching India's opening ceremony uniforms, he noted the tendency for countries to incorporate their national flags into designs. So he started working on a design that featured the tricolor colors of saffron, white and green.
For men, Tahiliani started with the kurta, a typical Asian long and loose shirt. She paired it with a bundi or a traditional sleeveless jacket. He told the magazine that he wears a bundi every day, inspired by his father, who was an admiral in the Indian Navy.
After backlash from the Olympic Committee, the designer moved away from what looked like a uniform for women, opting for the saree, which he says “can flatter any body type, and that's what we want for our female athletes.”
All designs include saffron and green embroidery. “The aim is to create outfits that empower our athletes to represent India with pride and confidence,” said Tahiliani.
Italy: A blend of elegance and tradition
For every Olympics since 2012, Italian athletes will be dressed in Emporio Armani uniforms.
The podium tracksuit is emblazoned with the shorthand for “W Italia,” “Eviva Italia,” or, “Long live Italy.” This motto may extend to designer Giorgio Armani himself, who turned 90 on July 11.
“Finding a new solution for an athlete's kit, which should combine beauty with practicality, is always an exciting challenge for me,” Armani said last year when he presented the national kit for youth and sport Emporio Armani at the spring-summer 2024 runway show. brand.
The athletes' tracksuits are in Armani blue, which has long been the designer's everyday uniform color, either as a T-shirt or a nice pullover.
Athletes will have no excuse for not knowing the national anthem: the opening is printed inside the collar of the polo shirt, and the entire first verse is inside the jacket.
Britain: four nations, not one
Sixty-year-old British clothing brand Ben Sherman, known for its menswear, is creating Britain's Olympic uniform for the third time, and this year wants to remind the world that Britain is not one but four nations.
Its design for the opening and closing ceremonies “represents the unity and diversity of Britain, reflecting the rich tapestry of our nation's identity.” says Mark Williams, the label's creative director.
In an email, Williams described his new four-nation floral motif, which features roses, thistles, daffodils and shamrocks, as “serving as a nod to the unique identity and history of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.”
Williams emphasized that the motif was not purely decorative, but meant to convey a message of cooperation and unity. Her floral motif appears in shades of blue and red – on polo shirts, worn on bomber jackets, and even on colorful socks, in collaboration with the Happy Socks brand.
South Korea: Inspiration from the National Symbol
South Korea's players will wear uniforms inspired by the country's national “taegeuk” circular symbol that is the centerpiece of their flag. The red and blue circles indicate the harmony between the negative cosmic forces of the blue side and the positive cosmic forces of the red.
North Face-branded uniforms also include one of the four black trigrams (groups of bars) from the corner of the flag, according to Yangon Outdoor Company, an official partner of the country's Olympic Committee, which produces and distributes North Face clothing. South Korea. The trigram being used is a water symbol.
An outfit for the medal ceremony consisted of a jacket, a red belt and black pants depicting the blue waters of the Nile on the country's east coast in an ink-wash painting style, Yangon says.
Team Korea's uniforms for the opening and closing ceremonies were designed by Musinsa Standard, a private-label brand run by South Korean online fashion store Musinsa. The all light blue uniform consists of a blazer, its lining with traditional white and blue porcelain designs, a traditional style belt and slacks.
