By Amy Tennery and Alicia Powell
NEW YORK, Dec 4 (Reuters) – Ralph Lauren will outfit the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic teams for the 10th time at next year’s Winter Games, with the brand’s take on an Italian aesthetic for the Opening Ceremony, part of an overall multi-piece set for the athletes.
“Every time we get the kit, it’s maybe the most exciting part of the Olympic experience, pulling on the Opening Ceremony outfit,” said Evan Bates, a three-time Olympian and defending ice dancing world champion with wife Madison Chock.
U.S. athletes will arrive for the Opening Ceremony at San Siro Stadium in Milan dressed in winter-white wool coats with Team USA engraved wooden toggles, an American flag turtleneck sweater and wool trousers.
The brand began their modern partnership with the U.S. team for the 2008 Beijing Games, where they dressed their athletes in their signature preppy look that the U.S. designer said was inspired by the 1920s and ’30s.
The debut led to a lucrative bond with the country’s athletes and the brand’s shares surged in the week following the 2016 Rio Opening Ceremony.
“It’s an incredible opportunity. You get to work with the greatest athletes in the world,” said David Lauren, Chief Branding and Innovation Officer.
“You really have to understand what the spirit and the energy is gonna be around each game. And understanding the athletes, understanding what makes them feel comfortable when they’re walking out on a global stage in front of the entire world.”
The collection hits shelves on December 4, amid a recent surge of popularity for the brand, as it catches on with younger shoppers and celebrities like Taylor Swift, who wore a Ralph Lauren dress for her engagement to NFL tight end Travis Kelce.
“Ralph Lauren just has that classic American style and it just fits with Team USA so nicely,” said Erin Jackson, the 500 metres Olympic speed skating champion at the 2022 Games.
Jackson, who competed at the 2018 Olympics as well, estimates that she received “three duffel bags worth of gear” at the Beijing Games.
“It’s like that first little burst of that American pride, that Team USA pride,” said Jackson. “A lot of us joke that the apparel is the best part of being on the team.”
(Reporting by Amy Tennery and Alicia Powell in New York and Rory Carroll in Los Angeles, additional reporting by Jenna Zucker)
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