Reuters
Source: 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.
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