Olympic Uniforms That Marry Tradition and Performance (Full Transcript)

[00:00:00] Speaker 1: We have to talk about some of these Olympic uniforms. So let's start with the home country, of course, of Italy. Their uniforms were designed by Giorgio Armani, the late Italian designer who's basically synonymous with modern luxury. And actually, before Giorgio Armani passed away, he spoke about these uniforms and how they were inspired by the snow-capped mountains of Italy. The uniforms from Mongolia are also absolute standout. These again are a wonderful combination of these traditional Mongolian robes, but done in a way that feels very athletic. It somehow feels contemporary, even though, of course, it's a reference to Mongolian nomadic culture. For the 10th year in a row, Ralph Lauren made the uniforms for the United States, and you can see why the U.S. keeps coming back to Ralph Lauren. And you've got these wonderful cream toggle coats that are so cozy. You've got a little fair isle situation happening. Brazil had these standout uniforms. They were designed in collaboration with the Italian luxury label Moncler. There are these channeled puffer skirt suits with an overcoat that unfolds into that brilliant Brazil green. Norway, perhaps unsurprisingly, had fantastic uniforms as well. Dale of Norway, which is the company that designed these uniforms, was one of the first businesses in the world to create knitwear for the Winter Olympics back in the 1950s. I saved the best for last. Haiti's uniforms are designed by the Italian-Haitian fashion designer Stella Jean. These are beautiful channeled puffer skirt suits. They are hand-painted, which is pretty unbelievable. They depict a portrait by a Haitian artist of the Haitian revolutionary leader Toussaint Louverture. What I think is particularly beautiful about these uniforms is that Stella Jean herself has both Italian and Haitian heritage, and she's combining those two parts of her background into these uniforms, which is particularly powerful. And that's why we love watching clothing at the Olympics and why we love watching the Olympics in general.