Starting Friday, sports enthusiasts around the world will be cheering on their favorite Olympic team members, dressed in top-of-the-line clothes made specifically for the games. Each Olympic year the best designers around the world are requisitioned to create uniforms that represent their countries personality. By incorporating patriotic colors, and often the national flag, designers are able to make something special for athletes to feel pride while wearing throughout the games. Some uniforms have hidden symbolism, while others are blatantly flashy. This year’s London Olympics Uniforms are sure to please fans:
Australia
Australian uniforms for the 2012 Summer Olympics were designed by Sportscraft. These blazers are lined with the names of gold medalists from throughout History, so that although the athletes have the weight of their nation on their shoulders, they also have the support of their predecessors. Dunlop Valley Shoes also lined the inside of the white tennis shoes athletes are wearing with past winners names so that team members are literally walking in their footsteps.
United States
American Uniforms by Ralph Lauren were controversially made in China this year, fueling the creation of an act to make all future Team USA uniforms within the actual US. Some argue that the uniforms look like flight attendant outfits, while others approve of the conservative, formality of them. Team USA will certainly be looking their finest this Friday night!
Great Britain
Stella McCartney partnered with Adidas to design Great Britain’s Uniforms this year, featuring a reconfigured Union Jack. As the home team of these summer games, the Brits have got to show off their national pride.
Germany
These German parade outfits were designed by Bogner. Sticking to the age old stereotype of women wearing pink and men in blue, these uniforms don’t particularly convey Germany’s national orange and yellow colors. They definitely pop though, and will allow fans to easily find this countries team amidst the mass of athletes during Friday’s parade.
Jamaica
PUMA Jamaican Olympic team uniforms were designed by Cedella Marley, daughter of the legendary Bob Marley. These team wears feature Jamaican flag colors in a fashionable light. The chic, formal uniforms for Friday’s parade are the most stylish of all, and the everyday outfits for specific sporting events are designed to represent the beauty of the country.
For more photos of Olympic uniforms this year, check out the Runway 2 Reality listing of Olympic Uniforms for London 2012