Polo Ralph Lauren's Team USA Olympic and Paralympic uniforms for the Opening Ceremony at the Pyeongchang Games will be "embedded with wearable heating technology," according to Maria Puente of USA TODAY. The "red-white-and-blue down parkas" are equipped with a "button on a slender battery pack inside that the athletes can push to get an instant and long-lasting jolt of toasty warmth." Ralph Lauren Chief Innovation Officer David Lauren said, "It's the most technologically advanced jacket ever produced. ... This is a fabric with ink that heats up -- it's weightless, it's conductive and it's immediate." Puente notes the electronic-printed inks, "printed in the shape of an American flag in carbon and silver and bonded to the interior of the jackets, are flexible and stretchable." The parkas are "water-repellent." The athletes can "set the temperature (there are three settings) via their cellphones." The heat can "last up to five hours on the high setting and 11 hours on the low setting, fully charged." And the heat button is "big enough to be used with gloves, which is crucial because the Opening Ceremony uniform includes large brown suede explorer gloves with fringe and hand beading." Additionally, the Opening Ceremony uniform includes a "slim jean with moto-inspired seaming, a patriotic intarsia-knit wool sweater, a navy wool ski hat, a USA-themed classic navy bandanna, a leather belt and brown suede mountaineering boots with red laces." The Polo Ralph Lauren Team USA collection is "available in limited editions in select Ralph Lauren retail stores and at RalphLauren.com and TeamUSAShop.com, with a portion of the proceeds earmarked for the U.S. Olympic team." All of the uniforms are "made in the USA" (USA TODAY, 1/22).
