The adidas uniforms that volunteers and staff members will during the ’12 London Games were unveiled Tuesday, and LOCOG officials said that they were “influenced by the Grenadier Guards, the Beatles and Henley regatta,” according to Owen Gibson of the GUARDIAN. The outfits have a "vaguely military theme, with colour-coded epaulettes to identify different groups, and large coloured cuffs.” LOCOG CEO Paul Deighton said that the uniforms “were intentionally more traditional than the more modern, somewhat divisive designs for the logo and mascots.” Deighton: “This feels like London. The purple says to me royalty and heritage. The poppy red says Grenadier Guards and Sergeant Pepper." Gibson reported adidas has developed a “blue and white version of the outfit for judges and officials.” They will also wear a “formal outfit, designed by fellow 2012 sponsor Next, for the ceremonies and to officiate the tennis tournament at Wimbledon.” The formal wear is described as being "inspired by British heritage with a modern twist," with landmarks including Big Ben “engraved into the buttons and the London skyline embroidered under the collar” (GUARDIAN.co.uk, 11/22). The BBC’s Ian Westbrook noted 6,000 volunteers “will receive a jacket, polo shirt, trousers, trainers, socks, cap, bag, water bottle and an umbrella.” Each technical official uniform “will come with jacket, pair of trousers or skirt, a shirt or blouse, a belt, a bag which can fit a laptop, a Trilby hat and a tie for men and a scarf for women” (BBC.co.uk, 11/22).
ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT: In London, fashion reporter Laura Craik wrote the uniforms “could have been worse,” but then, they “could have been a whole lot better.” On the “plus-side, the volunteers’ uniforms, in a striking -- or some might say, jarring -- combination of purple and red, will certainly stand out from the crowd.” Craik: “It’s not that I object to Next designing them per se, but did they have to splash their logo onto the jacket? And if they did, couldn’t they have put it underneath the 2012 logo, instead of on the opposite side?” She continued: “How different from the elegant Wimbledon 2011 umpire uniforms designed by Ralph Lauren, with their regal navy, white and purple livery” (THETIMES.co.uk, 11/22).
