Today, we got the first glimpse at what Team Canada will be wearing at the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Vancouver-based athletic and leisure wear brand Lululemon has the contract to produce the Olympic kit through 2028, and I spoke to the creative team and athlete ambassadors to get an exclusive sneak preview at the research and creative elements at play behind these garments that will represent Canada on the world stage.
The Games are about the best athletic performances in the world, but the location in fashion鈥檚 world capital upped the ante for the design team. 鈥淚 was inspired by the City of Light, with Paris as the backdrop,鈥 said Audrey Reilly, the creative director of Team Canada at Lululemon. Reilly also worked on the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics kit, but said the 35 sports of the summer games makes it a more ambitious project.
Decathlete Damian Warner in the opening ceremony zip jacket and seated-fit carpenter pants, $158, .
SuppliedLululemon designed uniforms for the opening and closing ceremonies, as well as for the podium and media interviews. 鈥淲e had a cohort of 19 different athletes across 14 sports advising us, a blend of Olympian and Paralympian athletes,鈥 Reilly said. They include tennis player Leylah Fernandez, swimmer Summer McIntosh and decathlete Damian Warner.
One key consideration is temperature: The Olympic Games take place July 26 to Aug. 11, and the Paralympic Games are Aug. 28 to Sep. 8, and it is likely to be very hot in Paris then. As well, each set of clothes is designed to enhance the athletes鈥 physical and emotional state.
In the case of the opening ceremony parade, the 鈥渇eel state鈥 is one of anticipation and celebration. These looks have what Reilly calls a 鈥減atriotic red鈥 base in a jacquard fabric with a toile pattern made up of elements that represent all parts of the country 鈥渇rom coast to coast to coast,鈥 including elements of 鈥渘ature, flora and fauna, and architecture.鈥
Wheelchair basketball player Cindy Ouellet in the opening ceremony vented jacquard bomber jacket, $398, and shorts, $68, .
SuppliedThe closing ceremony theme is 鈥渏oy and illumination,鈥 said Reilly. The outfits are a deeper red, with a print designed in collaboration with artist Mason Mashon of Saddle Lake Cree Nation, a longtime Lululemon ambassador who has competed in extreme sports. The print represents illumination in nature, such as photography of the aurora borealis.
For media interviews, the athletes requested a calming feel so a beige palette was chosen. There鈥檚 a blouson-style top with a transparent jacket, 鈥渟ort of a modern twinset,鈥 Reilly said.
The podium pieces are dynamic, with red maple leaves moving down the body on a white background. 鈥淭he feel state here is pride,鈥 Reilly said. They are also convertible, like most of the pieces: the arms and legs can zip off to suit the weather.
Breaker Phil Kim in the podium print jacket, $248, and pants, . Photo: Lululemon
SuppliedAdaptive solutions are a big part of the design work, especially for Paralympian athletes, of whom 55 per cent use wheelchairs. 鈥淲e heard from the athletes, seated and standing, that they all want to feel the same,鈥 said Reilly. One of them is rugby player Zak Madell, who hails from Edmonton and has been on the Canadian national wheelchair rugby team since he was 17; he competed for Canada in the 2012, 2016 and 2020 Games, taking home a silver from London in 2012.
鈥淚n November 2022, I got involved in research and development with the Lululemon team,鈥 said Madell by video call from Victoria, B.C. 鈥淎s a person with hand impairments, that meant making sure the pieces were easy to put on, trying different fasteners, different zipper pulls, making sure they work for people with different disabilities, different body types.鈥 His favourite piece is the seated carpenter pants, which have a non-abrasive knitted back 鈥渢o make sure we don鈥檛 have any pressure points, or sores or skin breakdown for wheelchair users.鈥
Wheelchair rugby player Zak Madell in the opening ceremony zip jacket and seated-fit carpenter pants, $158, .
SuppliedHe also points to the 鈥渞eally cool ponchos, that cover your lap. As a wheelchair user, it鈥檚 really great on a rainy day so your whole body and chair stays dry.鈥
Some people with disabilities have issues with thermoregulation, he adds, so the layering options, as well as wicking and breathability in the fabric technology are important elements.
Lululemon also provides training and wardrobe gear for the athletes at the Olympic Village, but most uniforms worn for competition are proscribed by individual NSOs (national sports organizations), which have their own sponsors, though athletes are sometimes allowed to wear their own sponsors on the field. You may have seen the criticism of Nike鈥檚 high-cut leotards for women on U.S.A.鈥檚 track and field team 鈥 that鈥檚 performance wear.
Melissa Humana-Paredes, from Toronto, is a beach volleyball world champion who made it to the quarter finals at Tokyo 2020. She was involved in focus groups long ahead of today鈥檚 Lululemon kit launch, as an ambassador for the brand and part of the COC Athletes鈥 Commission. 鈥淚t鈥檚 very empowering as an athlete to be heard,鈥 she said by video call from Los Angeles. 鈥淲hen you regroup to see how it has evolved, it鈥檚 great to see the creativity and quality and purpose behind every piece.鈥
Beach volleyball player Melissa Humana-Paredes in the closing ceremony kit featuring artist Mason Mashon’s print. Button-down shirt, $98, and shorts, $78, .
SuppliedHumana-Paredes said she plans to wear the Lululemon pieces long after 2024. 鈥淭hey nailed the design to represent Canada,鈥 she said. 鈥淭he colours and the symbolism and images are true to Canada, while also being cool and chic.鈥
Madell echoes her enthusiasm. 鈥淚鈥檓 going to wear that Closing Ceremony shirt almost every day when the Games are over,鈥 he said. 鈥淚鈥檓 not a fashion person, but I love a good button-up party shirt.鈥 The shoes are good, too. 鈥淭hey鈥檝e got some fire new kicks,鈥 he said of the Team Canada BeyondFeel sneakers. 鈥淭hey come in colours to match to different kits.鈥
Those, along with several pieces from the collection, will be available for the public to buy, as well as the Future Legacy accessories, which this time include a hat, scarf and bag, and 10 per cent of the sales of these support the Canadian Olympic/Paralympic Foundation.
The Olympics are a rare moment in our splintered multimedia reality when almost everyone is focused on one place, on the athletes who have worked so hard to take their places among the best in the world. For them, and for the viewers in the stands and at home cheering them on, the team uniforms are the embodiment of national pride.
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