Official Olympic uniform kits, from top to bottom, are crafted by a variety of brands in the active and fashion landscape.
From Ralph Lauren’s ongoing efforts to dress the U.S. athletes in style to sports labels like Nike and Speedo providing competition gear — every athlete feels the envelopment of team spirit while wearing the best of the best in footwear and apparel.
Here, a round up some of the key pieces you’ll see on the world stage in Tokyo.
Nike
Nike is an official supplier for Team USA’s competition uniforms, meaning a lot of athletes will be sporting the Swoosh in Tokyo this summer, including those competing in basketball, track and field, soccer and skateboarding (making its Olympic debut). The brand also designed the U.S. medal stand ensemble, which comes complete with the Nike Air Vapormax sneaker. All the apparel and footwear was developed with sustainability in mind, featuring eco-friendly materials and low-impact manufacturing techniques.
Ralph Lauren
Since 2008, Ralph Lauren has designed the U.S. Olympic Team ensembles for both the Opening and Closing ceremonies, and the Tokyo Games are no different. In mid-July, the brand revealed its Opening Ceremony parade uniform, a classic all-American look featuring a navy blazer paired with a slim denim pant, striped T-shirt and printed scarf. And for the parade, the fashion label also debuted a new technology — RL Cooling — a self-regulating temperature cooling device that was incorporated into a jacket for Team USA’s flag bearer.
The brand’s Closing Ceremony outfits consist of more-casual athleisure pieces in a palette of red, white and blue. Both collections were made with sustainability as a focus, featuring U.S.-grown wool and a cotton fabric created using the EcoFast Pure process, an advanced pre-treatment textile solution from Dow that significantly reduces the amount of water, chemicals and energy used in the dying process compared to traditional dye processes.
Skims
Kim Kardashian’s brand Skims entered a licensing deal with Team USA, which includes a limited-edition collection of undergarments, sleepwear and loungewear designed for U.S. Olympic and Paralympic female athletes. With this collaboration, all 626 female athletes participating in the games in Tokyo will receive the full line that has been developed in breathable, premium fabrics for cooling down, recovering and sleeping. As the step-daughter of former Olympian Caitlyn Jenner, Kardashian wrote on Twitter, “Ever since I was 10 years old, I’ve heard every single detail about the Olympics from my stepdad. As I would watch the athletes compete, I would grow to understand the dedication and honor being a part of the Olympics embodied.”
The North Face
As sport climbing makes its Olympic debut in Tokyo, The North Face has taken on the creation of the competition uniforms for the U.S. team. The sleek pieces, featured in a deep navy and crisp white, for both men and women, offer a sophisticated and exceedingly tailored aesthetic that brings a freshness to the sport, all under the ethos “built by climbers, for climbers.” The longstanding outdoor brand has also created the team uniforms for Japan, South Korea and Austria.
Speedo
This year for the Tokyo Games, Speedo once again built the U.S. Federation swimsuits, which will be worn by superstars like Caeleb Dressel, Ryan Murphy, Abbey Weitzeil and Hali Flickinger. The athletes will be utilizing the Fastskin LZR Pure Intent suit, which features three new fabrics designed to help improve flexibility, compression and drag reduction; and the Fastskin LZR Pure Valor, which has moderate compression and bonded seams to maximize comfort and speed. Along with the U.S. team, Speedo also created the official swimsuits for Canada, Australia and several other countries.
