The 2024 Paris Summer Olympics are in full swing! This is a unique time for those who are fans of both sports and fashion, as the Olympics combine the two in an atypical way. For some people, one of the most exciting parts is seeing the diverse trends and cultural styles from different countries reflected in the athletes’ Olympic outfits.
Specific brands create uniforms to represent each country. This creates a staggering difference in uniforms from country to country while also showcasing significant national motifs. For example, Ralph Lauren created the designs for Team USA’s opening ceremony kit, while brands like GK and Nike were used for competition uniforms. Asics was Australia’s provider, and Ben Sherman made Great Britain’s opening outfits. The different designs amongst the kits are quite interesting to see.
Team USA keeps it classy
Team USA’s Olympic outfits for the opening and closing ceremonies have gained mixed opinions. Ralph Lauren, the creator of the American team’s athleticwear, went for a very sleek look. The navy blue blazers pair effortlessly with white and navy striped button-down shirts, but some people on social media have called the ensembles boring. Placed next to countries like Mongolia, Team USA’s opening outfits are nothing exciting, but I think it wise to go for an ageless look that won’t go out of style.
Gymnastics has become a fan-favorite sport with the rise of Simone Biles, Suni Lee, and all the other incredibly talented athletes on Team USA. The women’s gymnastics team receives several of their uniforms, called leotards that they get to choose from for the different nights of competition.
Team USA is seen unboxing these different options adorned with real Swarovski crystals. Each leotard costs around a whopping $3,000, and they also have hidden meanings embedded within them. For example, the gold rhinestones are a nod to the color of the medals that Team USA hopes to win. Possibly more obvious, the stars shown in the second leotard represent the stars on the American flag.
On Tuesday, the team donned the first flag-patterned leotard shown to clinch the team gold medal. Both fashion and gymnastics lovers across the country are impatiently waiting to see what the gymnasts choose for the remaining days of competition!
The men’s basketball team displayed a patriotic color palette at their game against Serbia on July 28th. The jerseys tie in the USA’s colors with white trim lining the garment and a red splatter-paint effect along the shorts. Unlike sports that are played without shoes, the basketball kits feature matching navy and red sneakers. They are a slam dunk for Team USA!
Haiti’s Olympic outfits
Haiti came through with colorful, patterned outfits for the opening ceremony. Designed by Stella Jean, the skirts and pants feature pieces of Haitian artist Philippe Dodard’s piece titled “Passage.” With the country in chaos following the 2021 assassination of their president, Jean feels that the wearers of Haiti’s opening outfits and uniforms prove the resilience of the athletes. I give props to Stella Jean for this outfit, as it is highly distinctive and bears an important message.
Pictured here, Haiti’s Lynnzee Brown made history as the first Haitian woman to compete in Olympic gymnastics! Representing the flag, her deep blue leotard features a faux sweetheart neckline with red and white panels along the waist. As is typical with gymnastics leotards, there is no lack of embellishments and sparkle on Lynnzee’s ensemble.
Lynnzee ended the women’s qualifying round on July 28th with a 48.832 all-around score. While an awesome score, it was not quite enough to make it to the all-around finals. Even though Lynnzee’s time competing at the Olympics is over, there is no doubt that she will be remembered for representing her country.
Mongolia wins the opening ceremony
It feels like everyone on social media is talking about Mongolia’s opening ceremony outfits — and rightfully so! Designers Michel & Amazonka only had three months to design and produce the outfits. After a previous deal fell through, the sister duo was chosen as designers for the ceremony’s outfits. Similar to Team USA’s gold Swarovski crystals, the gold thread on the tops represents the first-place medals the country hopes to bring home.
What’s more, the gold embroidery is not merely for decoration. The mountain range stitched on the bottom section is symbolic of Mount Everest. The physical obstacles mountain climbers overcome to reach the summit parallel the mental challenges athletes face to make the Olympics. No country put up an opening ceremony that looks as detailed as Mongolia’s.
However, Mongolia keeps it simple with its competition kits. The country’s colors are displayed within each uniform, but there is not as much intricate detail as the opening ceremony looks. This makes sense, as there cannot be detailed embroidery on things like swimsuits, but they could have designed other uniforms with more patterns or colors.
Mongolia also goes for simplicity with the boxing uniform. The ensemble is a pretty shade of red — a primary color in the Mongolian flag. The flag is featured in the top left corner. These Olympic outfits are pretty basic, but still represent the country nicely.
Overall, the Mongolian Olympic kits brought one of the best opening ceremony outfits but showed some average-looking uniforms for the competition. This could be due to Mongolia’s lack of athletes in sports like gymnastics, which are traditionally more embellished uniforms. However, Mongolia makes up for it with its incredible opening ceremony looks.
Australia’s Olympic outfits
Asics created Team Australia’s outfits for the Summer Olympics with green and gold. It is not typical to have Olympic outfits composed of colors other than the country’s flag. However, these are Australia’s national colors. The colors chosen are an homage to the colors of Australia’s landscape. The gold represents the sand of the beaches and deserts, while green hues epitomize the native eucalyptus trees and rich rainforests of Australia.
Australia’s opening ceremony outfits include a beautiful deep green blazer. The gold buttons are pretty accents that bring in the white and yellow from the rest of the look. However, the skirts are slightly more controversial. The women have a choice between the khaki Bermuda shorts or the long pleated skirt. While most went for the skirt, it is not a fan favorite on social media. Paired with a tank top, these opening ceremony outfits are a bit more casual than others.
Ellen Perez and Matt Ebden coordinated perfectly during their tennis doubles match. Sticking with the national colors, Asics created a green bottom for the tennis athletes. The golden yellow top ties in with the yellow stripe on the skirt or shorts. The Indigenous print on the tops is a nod to Australia’s deep recognition of Native land. While the country fell a bit flat with the opening ceremony look, they redeemed themselves with great competition kits.
Great Britain’s hidden shamrock
The mind behind Great Britain’s uniforms comes from Ben Sherman, who created their opening ceremony outfits. For this Summer Olympics, the athletes wore beautiful light blue pants that complemented the varying shades of blue throughout the look. The white bomber jackets display beautiful embroidery on the back, including floral details and a shamrock.
The flowers on the back include a rose, thistle, daffodil, and, of course, the shamrock. This small detail is a nod to Northern Ireland, as all four florals symbolize the four nations within the UK. Team GB rounds off the look with a patterned polo shirt that matches the bomber jacket well.
To win his gold medal in men’s cross-country mountain biking, Tom Pidcock sported a navy jersey. The fitted top coordinated perfectly with the shorts, and both pieces were marked by red accents. The colors of Great Britain’s flag were tied together with a flag patch on the right arm.
Great Britain is having a busy Summer Olympics, with 17 medals under their belt after the fifth full day of competition.
This year’s Summer Olympics boasts some incredible (and some average) looks from countries around the globe. However, the outfits and uniforms aren’t just for decoration. The colors, flag decorations, and designs represent the traditions and customs of each country.
More important than the uniforms is the athletes wearing them. For some people, getting to the Olympics means training through both mental and physical injuries, family tragedies, and bias. There is no medal awarded for fashion at the Games; the uniforms are vehicles for the athletes to represent their unending dedication to their craft.
