Ralph Lauren Unveils Team USA's Opening Ceremony Outfits for Tokyo Olympics
The parade uniforms were made in the United States
By Leanne Italie ••
Charles Sykes/Invision/AP
Olympic medalists in fencing, Peter Westbrook, left, and Daryl Homer model the Team USA Tokyo Olympic opening ceremony uniforms at the Ralph Lauren SoHo store on Wednesday, July 7, 2021, in New York.
The Team USA flag bearers in steamy Tokyo will likely be the coolest members of their packs.
Ralph Lauren has built a personal air conditioning system into a roomy white jacket to be worn by the yet-unannounced athletes who will have that honor during opening ceremonies for the Olympics and Paralympics, the company said Wednesday.
The technology disperses heat from the wearer’s skin through a fan device at the back of the neck, with a lightweight personal battery controller stashed inside. It's akin to how large computers are kept cool.
“The more we can think about our personal space and personal thermal dynamics, that’s the future that we’re all going to have to think about,” said David Lauren, Ralph Lauren’s son, vice chairman of the company’s board, and chief branding and innovation officer.
The rest of the team will walk in tailored navy blazers made of U.S.-grown wool, a red Olympic patch on one breast and the company's Polo Pony emblem on the other.
They'll wear a horizontal blue-and-white striped T-shirt dyed in a process that uses less water, chemicals and energy, slim blue denim pants and a flag-print scarf.
The athletes' striped belts are made of recycled plastic water bottles. A patch on the back of the pants is a nod to leather alternatives, this one made of plant-based materials and agricultural byproducts free of synthetic plastics.
And Ralph Lauren didn't forget the masks. They'll be solid navy in cotton with a tiny American flag on one side.
The company went for crisp white looks with red and blue accents for closing ceremony uniforms to be worn by more than 600 Olympic athletes, along with the Paralympians.
Team USA organizers wanted the athletes to “feel red, white and blue” at the world's coming out party, Lauren told the AP ahead of the formal unveiling.
The sentiment comes amid growing concern over the spread of COVID just days before the Games open July 23. The Paralympics are set to begin Aug. 24.
“They wanted products that were completely sustainable, completely future-oriented and completely about innovation,” Lauren said via Zoom.
The parade uniforms were made in the United States. Ralph Lauren has been outfitting Team USA since 2008.
At a downtown Polo Ralph Lauren store in New York City, Olympians Daryl Homer and Peter Westbrook recently showed off the Tokyo looks for the AP, stressing comfort and recalling the thrill of their past marches with the American teams during the Parade of Nations.
Homer, a silver-medal-winning sabre fencer, will be making his third Olympic appearance in Tokyo. In 1984, Westbrook was the first African American to win a medal (bronze) in the sport and served as flag bearer. He now trains Olympic fencing hopefuls.
Westbrook recalled his Olympic walk as an overwhelming feeling of unity and pride.
“And then, the creme de la creme, you have to fight one another. With love,” he said. “It's the most beautiful thing one can experience.”
Homer called the uniforms “very comfortable, very breathable," though the much-discussed beret each American athlete received for the London Opening Ceremony in 2012 was one of his favorite Olympic pieces.
“I think this is my second favorite,” he smiled.
Antwerp, Belgium: Picture shows a group of US Olympic Athletes posing together in their uniforms on Nov. 5, 1920.
Aileen Riggin, Gertrude Ederle, and Helen Wainright stand in their Olympic team uniforms and hold American flags, after returning from the 1920 Olympics in Antwerp, Belgium.
American skater Gretchen Merrill on the ice during her performance in the Ladies Figure Skating contest at the Olympic Games in St. Moritz, Switzerland, Feb. 6, 1948. Merril finished the event in 8th place.
Team portrait of the 1920 US Olympic ice hockey team, undated.
Portrait of American athlete Babe Didrikson Zaharias in 1932 holding a javelin and wearing her Olympic uniform in Los Angeles, California. Babe set a new world record with her javelin throw at the event.
American speed skater Irving Jaffee holds his gold medal after winning the men’s 10,000-meter speed skating event at the 1932 Winter Olympic Games, Lake Placid, New York, on Feb. 9, 1932.
Here are the official uniforms that will be worn by the men and women of the U.S. Olympic teams when the 1948 Olympiad opens in England.
Portrait of the US Olympic speed skating team on an outdoor rink shortly after arriving in St. Moritz for the 1948 Winter Olympic Games, St. Moritz, Switzerland, January 1948.
This is a July 29, 1948, file photo of Ralph Craig, center, who won the 100- and 200-meter dashes in the 1912 Olympic games in Stockholm and was a member of the U.S. Olympic Yachting team in the 1948 games, carrying the American flag in the parade of the nations at the opening of the Olympic games in London’s Wembley Stadium.
Eleanor McCoy is dwarfed by athletes (from left) Howard William, Clyde Lovelette, both of Peoria, Illinois; Clyde Dean Kelly of Lawrence, Kansas, and Bob Kurland of Bartsville, Oklahoma, as she checks to make certain their Olympic jackets fit in 1952.
The ‘Tennessee Tiger Belles’, the American athletic team who collected three gold medals in the 1960 Olympic Games, arrive at London Airport from Rome for the Commonwealth versus USA athletics meeting on Sept. 12. 1960. From left to right, they are Martha Hudson, Lucinda Williams, Wilma Rudolph and Barbara Jones.
American Olympic sprinter Wilma Rudolph in the final steps of a race at the 1960 Summer Games. Rudolph, who couldn’t walk without the use of braces until she was nine, won gold in the 100- and 200-meter run, and anchored the winning 400-meter relay team.
National champion and Olympic team figure skating member Peggy Fleming of Boulder Springs, Colorado, wears her Olympic parade uniform during a fitting session on Jan. 22, 1968.
Avery Brundage, President of the International Olympic Committee, presents the winning gold medals to Otis Paul Drayton, Gerald Ashworth, Richard Stebbins and Robert Hayes of the United States during the medal ceremony for winning the Men’s 4 x 100 meters relay competition on Oct. 21, 1964, during the Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan.
The women of the United States Olympic team lead their male counterparts into the University City Olympic Stadium during the opening ceremonies of the Olympic Games in Mexico City on Oct. 12, 1968.
U.S. Olympic team decathlon competitor Bruce Jenner of San Jose, Calif., is fitted for his Olympic uniform in Plattsburgh, New York, on July 7, 1976.
Men’s Basketball during the Summer Olympic Games on July 18, 1976.
Members of the American Men’s Olympic ice hockey team celebrate on the medal podium after receiving their gold medals in Lake Placid, New York, on Feb. 24, 1980.
The U.S. Olympic hockey team gathered in New York's Grand Army Plaza on March 3, 1980.
American Olympic athletes wave the cowboy hats that are part of their official Olympic uniforms on Feb. 8, 1984, as they march in Kosevo Stadium during opening ceremonies of the Winter Games in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia.
The American cycling team rides together in Seoul, South Korea, on Sept. 18, 1988.
A closeup view of the emblem on the official uniform of the United States Olympic Team worn during the 1984 Summer Olympic Games in Los Angeles, California.
Alpine skiers Bill Johnson (wearing hat) and Doug Lewis of the USA Olympic Team try on their Olympic uniforms prior to the 1984 Winter Olympics held in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia.
American 400 meter runner Denean Howard (right) among other members of the US Olympic team during the Parade of Nations at the Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Games, Seoul, South Korea, on Sept. 17, 1988.
Michael Jordan, left, of the Chicago Bulls and Earvin "Magic" Johnson of the Los Angeles Lakers sport their new uniforms for the 1992 US Olympic Basketball team on Sept. 21, 1991, in Chicago, Illinois.
The US women's softball team waves to the crowd after being awarded the gold medal at the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games.
New members of the U.S. Women’s National Basketball, from left, Lisa Leslie, Chamique Holdsclaw, DeLisha Milton and Nikki McCray pose with their uniforms during a news conference at the MCI Center during the 2000 Olympics.
United States Olympic athletes, from left, boxer Rock Allen, softball player Jennifer Nicholas, archer Lisa Fernandez, and fencer Ivan Lee model the new 2004 Olympic Sportswear collection on May 13, 2004, at NBC Studios in New York.
U.S. Olympic diver Mark Ruiz and rhythmicgymnast Mary Sanders pose for a photo wearing the official opening ceremonies uniform on the set of the NBC Today show on Aug. 13, 2004, which moved to Athens for the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece.
Players from the US Olympic basketball team (L-R) Carlos Boozer, Jason Kidd, Michael Redd, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Deron Willimas, Dwight Howard, Kobe Bryant, Chris Paul, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh and Tayshaun Prince pose in Rockefeller Center on June 30, 2008, to display the uniforms provided by Nike they will wear at the Beijing Olympics.
Uniforms outfitted for the Olympic Rowing are displayed at Boathouse Sports on July 13, 2012, in Philadelphia for the Summer Games in London.
Team USA during the Opening Ceremony of the 2012 Summer Olympic Games held in London, England, on July 27, 2012.
Nordic combined skier Todd Lodwick of the United States Olympic team carries his country’s flag during the Opening Ceremony of the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics on Feb. 7, 2014, in Sochi, Russia.
U.S.A. Track and Field athletes, from left, Allen Johnson, Jen Toomey, Inger Miller, Justin Gatlin and Stacy Dragila show off the 2004 uniforms which will debut at the Olympic games in Athens during a news conference July 13, 2004, in Sacramento, California.
The 100 day countdown to the 2012 London Olympics on NBC News’ Today show.
From left: Ryan Lochte, Haley Anderson and Jordan Burroughs on TODAY revealing the Olympics Closing Ceremony uniforms on April 27, 2016.
Flag bearer Michael Phelps of the United States leads the U.S. Olympic Team during the Opening Ceremony of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games on Aug. 5, 2016, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
USA Olympic Team uniforms debut on March 17, 2016, in New York City.
Professional basketball players Elena Delle Donne, Kevin Durant, and Sanya Richards-Ross show off the 2016 Olympics Uniforms For USA on March 17, 2016, in New York City.
Team USA Tokyo Olympic closing ceremony uniforms are displayed during the unveiling at the Ralph Lauren SoHo Store on April 13, 2021, in New York City.
Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP
Team USA Tokyo Olympic closing ceremony uniforms are displayed during the unveiling at the Ralph Lauren SoHo Store on April 13, 2021, in New York City.
Team USA Tokyo Olympic closing ceremony uniforms are displayed during the unveiling at the Ralph Lauren SoHo Store on April 13, 2021, in New York City.
Team USA Tokyo Olympic closing ceremony uniforms are displayed during the unveiling at the Ralph Lauren SoHo Store on April 13, 2021, in New York City.
Team USA Tokyo Olympic closing ceremony uniforms are displayed during the unveiling at the Ralph Lauren SoHo Store on April 13, 2021, in New York City.
Team USA Tokyo Olympic closing ceremony uniform unveiling at the Ralph Lauren SoHo Store on April 13, 2021, in New York City.
Athletes Daryl Homer (Fencing), from left, Jordyn Barratt (Skateboard) and Heimana Reynolds (Skateboard) participate in the Team USA Tokyo Olympic closing ceremony uniform unveiling at the Ralph Lauren SoHo Store on April 13, 2021, in New York City.
Team USA Tokyo Olympic closing ceremony uniform unveiling at the Ralph Lauren SoHo Store on April 13, 2021, in New York City.
Athletes Daryl Homer (Fencing), from left, Jordyn Barratt (Skateboard) and Heimana Reynolds (Skateboard) participate in the Team USA Tokyo Olympic closing ceremony uniform unveiling at the Ralph Lauren SoHo Store on April 13, 2021, in New York City.
It was at the London Games where Ralph Lauren took some heat for decking out the U.S. athletes in uniforms made in China.
Team attire — but not the cooling element in the flag bearer jacket — is available at select Ralph Lauren stores, department stores, and online at RalphLauren.com and TeamUSAShop.com.
Homer tried on the flag bearer jacket and loves the concept.
“If you can cool yourself, why cool a room? I think that's a really cool thing," he said.
The five-year stretch rather than the usual four between Olympics has been challenging for Homer, along with the pared-down fanfare and pandemic protocols planned for Tokyo, he said.
“Everyone's really anxious to get out there to compete,” he said. “One of the positives is the next Games in Paris is three years, in 2024. But right now I just want to be present where I am.”
Ralph Lauren, the fashion brand that has been the official outfitter for Team USA since 2008, has released images of the closing ceremony uniform to be worn by the United State Olympic and Paralympic teams at the Tokyo Olympics.
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Associated Press video producers Joseph B. Frederick and Alicia Rancilio in New York contributed to this story.
