Nike is hoping to make up for this week’s Wimbledon embarrassment with bold new outfits for the American Olympic team.
The sportswear company caught flak earlier this week for dressing the tournament’s female tennis stars in too-short babydoll dresses that billowed with movement, infuriating distracted athletes.
But Nike may have hit upon a winning formula. Not only will its Olympic tennis dresses feature a more fitted design, its patriotic medal-ceremony uniforms, revealed Tuesday evening, will make Team USA hard to miss on the podium at the upcoming Rio games.
Featuring what Nike apparel concept director Michelle Miller calls “hypernational color,” the team jacket boasts cherry-red sleeves with ribbing that flashes navy blue and bright blue as athletes bend and move. The blue woven front of the jacket protects against wind, and the mesh back and sides offer ventilation. The back of the jacket reads “USA” in red block letters, while another message hides inside.
��There’s a badge that [reads] ‘E pluribus unum,’ and then in English: ‘Out of many, you are the one,’” Miller says. The note, she adds, drives home an already emotional moment for winners. “Even the most famous athletes always say that putting on their country’s uniform and representing it on the world stage is very profound.”
The jacket will be paired with blue pants with a knit-ribbed stripe that pops red with movement. Both are made from Italian four-way stretch fabric.
The uniforms are a podium-step up from the last summer games, at which winners wore a variety of outfits that included a drab gray jacket, a burnt-orange zip-up and pegged jeans.
As for the inspiration behind the tapered fit, Miller says it’s Nike’s modern version of athletic “warm-ups.” But there may be a more timely rationale: The head-to-toe jacket-and-pants combo also happens to provide excellent mosquito protection.
The NikeLab Dynamic Reveal team jacket will go on sale online and in select NikeLab stores for $450 on July 28. The pants are available to athletes only, but Nike Tech Knit track pants and Sportswear Tech Knit have a similar, albeit less patriotic, design.