Ralph Lauren introduced a wide range of uniforms for the U.S. Winter Olympic athletes in Sochi, including the opening and closing ceremony apparel and their Olympic Village gear. The items will all be made in the United States.
During the 2012 games in London, an outcry ensued after several Washington politicians complained that much of the U.S. apparel range was made in China. In response, Ralph Lauren issued a statement vowing to design, source and manufacture all future Olympic outfits in the U.S.
In making the Sochi range, the company used 40 U.S. partners in making 65,000 items for the 650 American athletes. The range includes a navy peacoat with a red stripe, a classic ski sweater with a reindeer motif and a hand-sewn American flag, and a tasseled chunky-knit hat.
“We have worked incredibly hard as a company to go across America to find the best partners to help us produce the Olympic uniforms at the highest quality for the best athletes in the world,” David Lauren, the company's executive vice president of advertising, marketing and corporate communications, told the Associated Press.
The range is smaller than the collection at the London games because of the challenges the company faced meeting the quantity and quality needed for the Olympic uniforms as well as the capacity requirements to cover versions to be sold to the public.
Uniforms used for competition are made by many sports brands through sponsorships with individual sports. Those outfits weren’t part of the outcry but The North Face, which is making the freeskiing uniforms, is among those suppliers who have have likewise committed to U.S. manufacturing.
Ralph Lauren Corp. has been making most of the athletes' casual apparel since 2008, when it took over from Canadian clothier Roots.
