When Ralph Lauren unveiled in June what Team USA athletes will wear during the upcoming Summer Olympics in Paris, the outfits were what you would expect from a high-end fashion designer whose work will be showcased to a global television audience.
But for those who work in the motorsports industry, one particular uniform stood out. The ensemble that caught their attention is what athletes will wear during Sunday’s closing ceremony, with the uniform featuring a crisp white look made of denim with bold lettering embroidered across the chest, patches on the top half and racing stripes. The pants are also white and have “Team USA” written down the left leg.
The similarities to classic motorsports racing attire are so striking even NASCAR’s Instagram account took notice.
“Absolutely, I do see it,” said Mandy Underwood, who has over 20-plus years of marketing experience within the motors industry. “Because if that was one single suit, that would make a great firesuit, for sure.”
If anyone would know about the aesthetics of designing firesuits and the world of fashion, it would be Underwood, manager of branding and licensing for Toyota Racing. It is Underwood who Toyota tasks with the responsibility of designing firesuits, paint schemes and various marketing materials for whenever the manufacturer (and its corporate partners) directly sponsors a driver/team.
As she looked over photos of what Team USA will be wearing during the closing ceremony, Underwood was impressed by the incorporation of current hot trends within the fashion industry, pieces like a bomber jacket and patches that present a nostalgic look.
That each athlete’s jacket has a sport-specific patch positioned on the bottom right is a nice little touch to distinguish themselves, she said.
“Patches are a huge trend right now,” Underwood said. “I’ve got three, like, Air Force bomber jackets in my closet now that have retro patches all over. That’s a big trend right now. So I think this falls right in line with what’s on trend right now in fashion. And I definitely see it leaning into that NASCAR look and feel with all these different patches.”
When Underwood designs a firesuit, she wants something that immediately pops, but not necessarily in a flamboyant way that distracts. She prefers to use a bright white as the primary color, then splash in other colors because white stands out better amid a sea of firesuits that often incorporate a darker color as the base. That’s why Toyota’s firesuits are often white with branding written in vibrant red across the chest.
When Team USA athletes walk into Stade de France on Sunday, the likelihood is their uniforms will draw attention. It is not surprising then that Underwood gives high marks to Team USA’s racing-inspired uniform; the presentation is not all that different from how Underwood would’ve designed the outfit had she oversaw the project.
One critique Underwood did have regarding the closing ceremony outfit is the inclusion of the hat, which resembles something a bicyclist would wear. It looks out of place with the rest of the ensemble.
“I actually just watched a documentary on Lance Armstrong this weekend, and the little bitty bill (on the hat) brings me back to (something that Lance would wear),” Underwood said. “But again, you look at how it’s branded and how it’s got the old school logos, and while the style is different, that may be just Ralph Lauren bringing in their own kind of look to a regular baseball cap.”
Overall, though, Underwood describes the entire fit as classy, exactly what you’d want for a ceremony held in a city where fashion is paramount.
“Going into Paris, you want to be ahead of the game,” Underwood said. “You don’t want to be kind of doing what everybody else has done. I appreciate that they brought something that’s a little different than what we would probably normally see back here in the States.”
(Top photo of Team USA breakers Victor Montalvo, Sunny Choi, Jeffrey Louis and Logan Edra wearing the closing ceremony outfits: Joe Scarnici / Getty Images for USOPC)
Source link : https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5598075/2024/08/11/team-usa-closing-ceremony-outfit-nascar-design/
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Publish date : 2024-08-11 06:00:00
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