The Olympic Games are taking place in the capital of fashion. Look forward to uniforms worthy of a Parisian catwalk
PARIS: Sure, it's called the city of light. But Paris is also the city of fashion, one of the most influential fashion capitals in the world for decades, no, centuries (remember Louis XIV?)
So it's no surprise that fashion designers around the world are busy preparing their national teams' uniforms for their one-of-a-kind spotlight. When it comes to high-quality Olympic fashion – be it for the ceremonial opening ceremony or the competition – all catwalks lead to Paris.
Stella Jean will be there, personally styling each of the 12 or so Haitian athletes. Jean, an Italian-Haitian designer based in Rome, estimates she has exactly two seconds on the night of the opening ceremony to make an impression on the world – an impression that could resonate for years to come. “For these athletes, just being here is a victory,” says Jean, whose vibrant, colorful design is meant to highlight the cultural vitality of the Caribbean country.
At the other end of the size (and budget) spectrum is Ralph Lauren, who will be outfitting hundreds of U.S. athletes for the opening and closing ceremonies for the ninth year. Lauren, who is sporting a casual look of blue jeans and blazers, is of course one of the richest designers in the world, along with Giorgio Armani, who has designed Italy's uniforms since 2012.
Many other designers have taken part – including this year more young, “indie” labels looking to make a splash. It's also a chance to highlight qualities such as sustainability in fashion and adaptability, as with the designs for the Paralympics.
“Designers and manufacturers are now realizing that this can be a huge platform for them to do a lot of things,” says Alison Brown, co-host of the Keep the Flame Alive podcast, which covers all things Olympic-related. For example, “Sustainability is a big buzzword for the whole Olympics right now,” she says.
And that goes for the style too – because, well, Paris.
“You always want to represent your country and your athletes. But this time the pressure to do well seems even higher,” says Brown.
Some new details on various uniform designs:
Canada: Focus on inclusivity and adaptability
During the design process, the team at Lululemon, which is outfitting Canada's athletes for the second year, listened carefully to the athletes and 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 sportswear company.
She remembers listening to Alison Levine, a wheelchair-bound Paralympian, and learning that the athlete didn't have anything suitable to train in—so she wore a medical gown.
“I was shocked that a professional athlete had to do something like that,” Reilly said in an interview. So we said, 'Let's investigate this.'” One result was a pair of “fitting carpenter pants,” part of a collection designed to be inclusive and adaptable. Other features include special fasteners that make the clothes easier to put on and take off, and pockets on the knees so an athlete like Levine can access her phone while working out.
The collection covers all aspects of Team Canada's journey, from getting to the Games to the opening and medal ceremonies to training – everything but the competition. To beat the expected scorching heat in Paris, Lululemon, which has a four-Games contract with the team, paid special attention to ventilation and moisture wicking.
And for the opening ceremonies, the designers created what they call a “Tapestry of Pride.” Hand-drawn and woven into the fabric, it features 10 animals – nine representing the provinces of Canada and one representing France. “We wanted to represent all of Canada, from coast to coast and north to south,” says Reilly.
Haiti: “They know their bodies are a flag”
Stella Jean is used to designing beautiful clothes. But beauty for beauty's sake was not an issue when she designed for Haiti's team. She was only concerned with the message.
“This is the first good news from Haiti in at least three years,” she says. The athletes' appearance is a counter message to news of political unrest, poverty or natural disasters. “That's why I have a responsibility to say as much as possible about the country.”
For this, Jean collaborates with Haitian artist Philippe Dodard, whose colorful painting is incorporated into the ceremonial uniforms – a colorful skirt for women and pants for men, combined with traditional garments such as a chambray shirt. The designs were made from “leftovers” of the fabric – sustainability, yes, but not because it's trendy, says Jean, but because in Haiti it's both tradition and necessity.
Jean calls the Haitian athletes “ambassadors.”
“These ambassadors will be in Paris,” she says, “and they all know, even though they are very, very young, how important their presence is – and that it's not just about performance. They know that their body is a flag.”
USA: “Nothing embodies America better than blue jeans”
For the last Summer Games in sweltering Tokyo, Ralph Lauren outfitted athletes with something cool – literally – technology that dissipated heat through a fan device on the neck.
For hot Paris, he introduces a different kind of coolness: good old American jeans.
“Nothing embodies America better than blue jeans, especially when we’re in Paris,” said David Lauren, the label’s chief branding and innovation officer and son of the founder, when he unveiled the design in June.
Ralph Lauren will dress the U.S. team for the opening and closing ceremonies for the ninth year, personally outfitting each athlete. For the opening ceremony, they'll wear tailored navy blazers with blue-and-white striped Oxford shirts—and 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: Mixing old and new
Indian designer Tarun Tahiliani is known for his ability to combine traditional elements with a modern sensibility, and that's exactly what he tried to do with his menswear brand Tasva for his country's Olympic team.
Tahiliani told GQ India that while researching the Indian opening ceremony uniform, he noticed a trend where countries were incorporating their national flags into the design, so he started working on a design in three colours: saffron, white and green.
For men, Tahiliani started with a kurta, the typical Asian long and loose shirt, and paired it with a bundi, 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.
Following feedback from the Olympic Committee, the designer moved away from the uniform-like look for women and opted for a sari that he said “can flatter any body shape, and that is exactly what we want for our female athletes.”
All designs feature embroidery in saffron and green. “The aim is to create outfits that empower our athletes to represent India with pride and confidence,” said Tahiliani.
Italy: A mix of elegance and tradition
As at all Olympic Games since 2012, the Italian athletes will wear elegant uniforms by Emporio Armani.
The tracksuit on the podium bears the words “W Italia”, the abbreviation for “Eviva Italia” or “Long Live Italy”. The motto could also be applied to the designer Giorgio Armani himself, who turned 90 on July 11th.
“Finding new solutions for athletes' equipment, which must combine elegance and functionality, is always an exciting challenge for me,” said Armani last year when the national equipment was presented at the Spring-Summer 2024 fashion show of the youthful and sporty brand Emporio Armani.
The athletes' tracksuits are in Armani blue, which has long been the color of the designer's everyday uniform, be it a T-shirt or a fine sweater.
There is no longer any excuse for athletes not to know the national anthem: the beginning is printed on the inside collar of the polo shirts, and the complete first verse is on the inside of the jackets.
Great Britain: Four nations, not one
The 60-year-old British clothing brand Ben Sherman, known for its menswear, is designing Great Britain's Olympic uniforms for the third time and this year wants to remind the world that Britain is made up of four nations, not one.
The design for the opening and closing ceremonies “represents the unity and diversity of the United Kingdom and reflects the rich diversity of our nation’s identity,” says the label’s creative director, Mark Williams.
In an email, Williams described his new Four Nations floral motif, which includes a rose, thistle, daffodil and shamrock, as a “nod to the unique identity and history of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.”
Williams stresses that the motif is not just decorative, but is meant to convey a message of collaboration and unity. His floral motif appears in blue and red – on polo shirts worn with a bomber jacket, and also on colorful socks in a collaboration with the brand Happy Socks.
South Korea: Inspiration from a national symbol
South Korea's athletes will wear uniforms inspired by the country's national “Taegeuk” symbol, which occupies the center of the flag. The red and blue circle symbolizes harmony between the negative cosmic forces of the blue part and the positive cosmic forces of the red part.
The motifs on the North Face-logoed uniforms also include one of the four black trigrams (groups of bars) from the corners of the flag, according to Youngone Outdoor Co., an official partner of the country's Olympic Committee that produces and distributes North Face clothing in South Korea. The trigram used symbolizes water.
A uniform for medal ceremonies consists of a jacket depicting ink painting style the indigo waters off the country's east coast, a red belt and black pants, Youngone says.
The Korean national team's uniform for the opening and closing ceremonies was designed by Musinsa Standard, an in-house brand of South Korean online fashion store Musinsa. The all-light blue uniform consists of a blazer with the lining engraved with traditional white and blue porcelain patterns, a traditional-style belt and trousers.
