When Team USA joins the world’s athletes at the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games in Paris, they will do so in sassy, tailored navy blazers from Ralph Lauren – and blue jeans.
Just normal, everyday denim blue jeans.
Ralph Lauren, who unveiled his ninth turn on Tuesday and created Olympic parade looks for the Americans, labels the duo as “unexpected” yet classic.
David Lauren, the company’s Chief Branding and Innovation Officer and son of the founder, wasn’t bothered by the casualness of blue denim.
“We work very closely with Team USA to make sure that the athletes immediately dress up, feel like a team, but at the same time are comfortable and very distinctively American,” he told the Associated Press on Monday.
“Nothing says America more than a pair of jeans, especially when we’re in Paris,” Lauren added. “And it gives the athletes a chance to feel a sense of a culture, but also a sense of themselves and what is natural.”
The single-breasted wool blazers have a red and white trim, worn with a blue and white striped Oxford shirt and cream suede lace-up shoes. In any case, the jeans are tapered. Oh, and there are ties, in blue.
For the closing ceremony, the team will wear sharp, moto-style white jeans with matching jackets designed in, yes, patriotic red, white and blue.
The company rounded up a few athletes who went to Paris to show off the parade uniforms for the Summer Games that start next month in one of the world’s fashion capitals.
Daniela Moroz, 23, is competing in sailing in her first Olympic Games. She loved the racing details of the closing look she modeled, right down to the shoes. The zip-up jackets feature “USA” in large letters on the front, with “Team USA” in blue high on the outer seam of one pant leg. Team caps are duckbills: the visor is white, with red and blue details.
“I’m an on-water racer, so that really appeals to me,” Moroz, born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, said of the motorcycle touches. “It’s super comfortable.”
Lauren called the closing ceremony looking “more graphic, more fun, a little more exciting.”
The company also designed Team USA gear that will be available for purchase starting Tuesday at RalphLauren.com, TeamUSAShop.com and company stores in the U.S. and France. The range includes polo shirts made from 100% recycled cotton. It’s the first time Ralph Lauren has achieved that level of durability in Olympic gear, David Lauren said.
The customizable polo shirt “almost feels like a performance material with better moisture wicking, better breathability and better stretch,” he said. “And it is a test for us to see how we can evolve in the future. The Olympic Games have always been a great place to test novelty, try out innovation and discover together with our athletes what the future could look like.”
A portion of the proceeds from retail sales will go toward supporting American athletes as they train for their Olympic moments. Lauren wouldn’t be more specific about how much money the company is sending their way.
Jamal Hill, a Paralympic swimmer who earned a bronze medal in Tokyo, returns to compete in Paris at the age of 29. He thinks the uniforms will resonate with millennials and Gen Z.
“They have a very, very beautiful, unique modern flair,” said Hill, who grew up in Los Angeles.
Fencer Daryl Homer, 33, will be in Paris as an alternate after rupturing his Achilles tendon a month before qualifying. It is his fourth trip to the Olympic Games. In 2016 he won a silver medal in Rio de Janeiro.
About the blue denim moment, Homer said: “It’s very modern, accessible. We’re going for a walk in Paris in the heat. It’s a lighter look with a little more room to move.”
Kamren Larsen, a 24-year-old BMX racer from Bakersfield, California, is heading to his first Olympic Games. He thinks the crisp blazers with Oxford shirts offset the more relaxed nature of the jeans.
“I think Ralph has done a good job of diversifying,” he said.