The Olympics aren’t just about incredible feats of sport. ralph lauren olympics 2021 They’re a chance for countries to project their national identity onto the world stage.
with prim polo shirts and sports jackets that go back to the collegiate looks
of Ivy League schools in the 1970s. The outfits for the Tokyo Olympics were exactly
in line with this classic aesthetic. The American contingent paraded through the stadium
in skinny jeans, striped shirts, scarves emblazoned with the American flag,
white sneakers, and blazers featuring an enormous Ralph Lauren logo.
There was nothing surprising about these uniforms, but this year, people mercilessly
ralph lauren olympics 2021
Given that the Olympic uniforms have such symbolism, reflecting a country’s
value’s and identity, it’s not surprising that they’d trigger such a strong reaction.
New York Times reporter Astead Herndon pointed out on Twitter that the looks
don’t capture the diversity and multiculturalism of the U.S. team.
“Every Olympics Ralph Lauren dresses up a diverse cross section of America’s
finest athletes as a Vampire Weekend cover band,” he wrote, referring to the band
founded at Columbia University and known for its preppy outfits.
On some level, the response makes sense in the wake of the racial and social reckoning
that has taken place over the last year. The preppy aesthetic has been historically
associated with elite, often exclusionary spaces. Ralph Lauren’s mascot, the polo player,
harkens to a sport that is overwhelmingly played by wealthy white people. And while
Ralph Lauren and other preppy brands like Rowing Blazers have made an effort to diversify
by using Black and brown models, many people still associate the look with white privilege.
So how does a brand like Ralph Lauren get to design Team USA’s outfits in the first place?
The official outfitter is expected to pay to dress the entire contingent of athletes and coaches,
which in the case of the United States means more than 1,100 people. In 2008,
when Ralph Lauren was given the initial contract, the company estimated that it would
cost under $10 million to outfit the whole team. Ralph Lauren’s 2021 revenue was $4.4 billion,
so that kind of up-front cost is out of reach for all but the biggest brands.
ralph lauren olympics 2021
While it would be exciting to have an up-and-coming American designer like Kerby
Ralph Lauren sells pieces from the opening and closing ceremony looks; you can buy
the very same blazer the athletes wore for $695 or the skinny jeans for $195.
According to the original terms of the contract, Ralph Lauren reportedly pays the U.S.
Olympic Committee around 10% in royalties on the sale of these products.
Ralph Lauren also likes to take advantage of the Olympic spotlight to showcase
its tech-forward clothing. This year, it embedded a cooling device in the blazers to help
regulate the athletes’ body temperature, an important addition given the
record-breaking heat waves around the world. Tokyo which is seeing daily
temperatures of more than 90 degrees.
Just as importantly, the Olympics offer fashion brands an unparalleled advertising moment
in front of an enormous global audience. (The previous Summer Games
drew 4.5 billion viewers.) That’s why the outfits tend to have enormous logos that can
be easily seen in aerial shots of the athletes. For a multinational brand like Ralph Lauren,
this is an opportunity to put itself in front of consumers in Asia and Europe,
where it has dozens of stores.
It’s unclear how long the brand’s contract extends for, particularly given the public outcry
this year. If the U.S. Olympic Committee does switch designers, we have our money
on Virgil Abloh. We can already see the cutting-edge streetwear styles he’d
create for the team, along with the letters “U.S.A.” in his characteristic ironic quotation marks.
