A few days ago,
the USA Olympic team revealed their opening ceremony uniforms on TODAY. My
initial reaction was that the cardigans resembled high-end ugly Christmas
sweaters, and after reading a bit more about the uniforms, it turns out most of
America agreed.
The sweaters are
definitely attention catching, but do pair nicely with the understated white
athletic pants. The look also includes a
cream turtleneck, black and red leather boots, a belt, and a reindeer hat. For
a mere $1,500 anyone can sport the same attire as the Team USA athletes on
opening night… excuse me? Yes, the prices are quite hefty, but all of the
pieces are produced domestically, and proceeds of the cardigan benefit the U.S.
Olympic Committee. Still a steep price for a garish sweater if you ask me, but
it does look warm and comfy. Its patchwork design features patriotism, the
Olympic rings, and plenty of stars and stripes.
After creating a
huge controversy in 2012 for outsourcing the manufacturing, Ralph Lauren, the
designer and outfitter of this year’s U.S. Olympic team, prioritized domestic
production of all of the merchandise. This is the fourth time that the company
has been an official outfitter of Team USA.
This year’s
uniform’s began with wool from Oregon, was then spun in state of Pennsylvania,
dyed and yarned in North Carolina, and finally sent to California to be sewn by
a small mom & pop shop.
Ralph Lauren has
also produced a collection of apparel and accessories, also available for
purchase through their website. Anyone can support Team USA by getting all
decked out in the Ralph Lauren apparel and looking quite festive for this year’s
Winter Olympics in Sochi.
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