USA Swimming and swimwear brand Arena today unveiled its Team USA Bishamon Collection. Select pieces will be worn by all U.S. swimmers within the competition venue in Tokyo.
“Arena has truly outdone themselves with the Bishamon Collection not only creating stylish pieces for both our athletes and fans but seamlessly marrying the rich tradition of the Japanese culture with the heart and soul of our team,” USA Swimming Chief Commercial Officer Shana Ferguson said. “We look forward to seeing these pieces on the world stage as well as across the social realm from all the fans cheering us on at home.”
“We are honored to be the exclusive 0utfitter of the United States national swim team. From the first days of our partnership, our primary objective was to fully integrate the USA National Team staff into our product development process to ensure that our National Team range wasn’t just the best-looking apparel on the global stage but also met the demanding specifications of the world’s best swim team” said Mark Pinger, GM, Arena North America.
Arena, the exclusive outfitter of the U.S. swim team since 2013, invoked the warrior spirit and divine favor of Japanese tradition in the launch of the Bishamon Collection. One of the Seven Gods of Fortune in Japanese folklore, Bishamon (or Bishamonten) is an armor-clad warrior god, a guardian deity who protects and brings divine favor in battle. He carries a spear in one hand and, in the other, a pagoda symbolizes a divine treasure house, whose contents he both guards and gives away.
For the collection’s design, Arena combined the Bishamon’s warrior expression with the pattern of his armor, the Bishamon Kikko, inspired by the shell of a tortoise and representing longevity and good luck. The resulting design symbolizes both protection and good fortune with a singular ultimate goal of victory.
The collection’s available pieces included hooded jackets, half-zip shirts, tank tops, raglan t-shirts, Bermuda shorts, long tights, and men’s and women’s swimwear.
For more product information, go here.
