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Hilfiger To Outfit Bloom And
Rest Of Freestyle Ski Team |
The focus on style and fashion during the Turin Games is examined by Eric Wilson in the Style section of the N.Y. TIMES. German fashion designer Willy Bogner Jr., who designed Germany’s uniforms for the Opening Ceremony, said the athletes’ parade “is now like a big fashion show.” Giorgio Armani is designing the uniforms for 30 Italian athletes and NBC commentators. Roots will outfit American athletes during the ceremonies, “including a revival of its beret, and nylon vests in a retro ski racing style the company says is inspired by Italian sports.” Both pieces will be sold at Target — $24.95 for the beret and $197.99 for the vest. A “special white parade jacket is being kept under wraps until the event.” Americans on the medal stands will wear “off-white Nike track jackets trimmed with blue ribbing, or puffy blue and red parkas bearing the company’s swoosh, variations of which are being sold at Nike stores and Nike.com.” Wilson notes uniform makers “typically pay [8-12%] of their revenues on Olympic products to the national organizing committees, a range that executives at Roots, Nike and other companies said was comparable between countries with high-profile competitors.”
COMPETITION: Tommy Hilfiger has designed a competition uniform for the American freestyle ski team. Aerialists will wear “cream or white solid tops with dark blue ski pants, both with red trim and a small Hilfiger flag,” while mogul skiers “will have red accents on their kneepads.” adidas is introducing its Clima Powerweb Suit for bobsled and cross-country skiing competitions while Nike has “added uniforms for speed skating.” Both companies will outfit several teams and “modify their uniforms with different colors and motifs to reflect the athlete’s nationality” (N.Y. TIMES, 1/19).
