The official Team USA Olympic uniforms have finally been revealed, and the nation’s greatest athletes will be arriving to Rio de Janeiro in a classic, preppy style fit for the tropics.
The Olympics kick off on Friday August 5 in Rio de Janeiro, and the athletes representing the USA will be decked out in Ralph Lauren apparel complete with a Polo navy blazer, patriotic t-shirts, white denim jeans, and white and blue striped boat shoes for the grand opening ceremony.
Videos by PopCulture.com
The new collection is a stark contrast from the 2012 London Summer Games when Ralph Lauren dressed the athletes in dress shoes, ties, and berets.
Executive vice president of Ralph Lauren’s global advertising, David Lauren, stated that the decorative wrist-strip gives the look”almost a Brazil resort sensibility.” He also mentioned, “Something that’s relaxed and easy but also celebrates American colors, celebrates patriotism, but something that doesn’t feel too warm for the athletes.”
David Lauren stated that the goal with the new uniforms was to allow the athletes for Team USA to feel comfortable. Lauren stated, “A lot of people, this is their first time walking in the Olympics, walking in an opening ceremony, being on TV. It’s incredible pressure and stress for an athlete. And so when they come up to our offices and we spend time with them, we’re really trying to understand what feels cool, what feels modern, what makes them feel dressed up enough that they feel that they’re special, that they truly are an ambassador.”
The team at Ralph Lauren created and manufactured the uniforms with over 40 U.S. manufacturing partners, according to USA Today. While so much of the clothing industry has moved manufacturing overseas, Ralph Lauren wanted to “create more jobs” and “inspire any other brands to do the same” in the process of making the Team USA uniforms.
Check out the gallery to see the first photos.
Ralph Lauren describes the Open Ceremony uniforms here:
“Polo Ralph Lauren’s 2016 Team USA Opening Ceremony parade uniform is fresh and sporty, with classic elements, and features an all-American palette of red, white and blue. Team USA will be outfitted in a deep navy blazer complemented by gold buttons, repp-stripe trim and a signature embroidered Polo Pony. The combination of the jacket with a classic striped T- shirt and selvedge white denim jeans with inspirational details creates a polished ensemble. Classic boat shoes get the team treatment in navy, white, and red. Striped cotton bracelets and navy grosgrain belts offer the perfect touch of sport and style.
Polo Ralph Lauren’s commemorative Flag Bearer Jacket is the ultimate integration of innovation, fashion and technology. The jacket was exclusively designed for the flag bearers of the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Teams.
Electroluminescent panels brightly illuminate individual elements of the Flag Bearer Jacket, spotlighting an elegant combination of classic American tailoring out of New York with innovative apparel technology developed in Silicon Valley.
The Flag Bearer Jacket will literally light the way for Team USA as they represent our country in the Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Games. This groundbreaking jacket exemplifies Ralph Lauren’s continued exploration of the intersection of fashion and technology. For an athlete, being chosen as the flag bearer for Team USA is an extraordinary honor, and we wanted to pay tribute to that position,” says David Lauren, Executive Vice President, Global Advertising, Marketing & Communications. “Ralph Lauren is incredibly proud to dress America’s best and brightest athletes at the world’s premier sporting event.”
Do you like the new uniforms the USA athletes will be wearing at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics?
