Elite Sportswear and its GK brand have played a crucial behind-the-scenes role at the Olympics as manufacturer of Team USA’s gymnastics competition gear for the last 16 years. The suits have come to transcend the Games to become their own fashion plates, of sorts, so all eyes are on the Reading, Pa.-based company this year as it works with new USA Gymnastics sponsor Under Armour for the first time. Executive Vice President Kelly McKeown has run point for the company’s Olympics relationships since 2006.
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[We] work closely with USA Gymnastics to ensure that we are providing looks that represent our USA athletes at the highest level. Our focus for working with Team USA is on the teamwork and collective expertise that we both bring to the table to outfit the athletes.”
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Photo by: JOHN CHENG / USA GYMNASTICS
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On working with Under Armour: We collaborate to create innovative styles with superior fit and quality. We design and manufacture an Olympic replica collection of leotards, which will launch after the Games in Rio. Through our licensing partnership we also design and manufacture an entire line of Under Armour gymnastics apparel, which includes competitive leotards and training leotards. Under Armour provides direction and approval for the apparel.
On the role of the Olympics in a year-round gymnastics business: The Olympics have a big impact. Parents are really motivated to enroll their children into gymnastics programs after the Olympics, which is great for the growth of our sport.
On being a sponsor of this month’s All Star Games aerial sports festival in Las Vegas: This exclusive event celebrates sports that would normally never compete at the same event. This includes stunting, cheerleading, power tumbling, synchronized tumbling, tricking, dance and parkour. This event provides GK with a platform to sell our apparel to the athletes and also to meet with coaches and gym owners to work on new team apparel designs.
On outfits becoming more elaborate and expensive (with some running as much as $1,200): GK was the first gymnastics leotard company to use crystals on leotards that we sell, and we revolutionized the look of All Star Cheer uniforms eight years ago using the same Swarovski crystals and state-of-the-art technology to apply them. We have been asked many times how we wire the apparel to light it up. We tell customers that there is no lighting or wiring, but the faceting and cut is the best there is on the market. We have invested a significant amount into state-of-the-art technology to design and apply crystals to our apparel over the past decade.
