Olympics champions don’t care for what they’re wearing while reaching for gold, but fashion houses create the sports luxury for them to enjoy and make their sporty fashion statement.
Prada
Prada Sport’s “Tricks” collection, made especially for the Olympics, consists of nylon jackets, bags, and wallets. These yummy Prada accessories honor Italy (where the fashion house is based), Japan, and the Far East, are sold only in boutiques abroad. If you are in the US try eBay.
Recognize the colors of the Olympic rings?
Puma
Puma is sponsoring several Beijing athletes. Leading sports brand held a contest where students designed Olympic-inspired luxury accessories to carry the brand’s new Usan shoe.
The four winning bags are available in Milan, Paris, the United Kingdom, New York, and Tokyo, as well as here
Student winner George Omerod designed these medallion-shaped bags, which unzip on the side to create a larger bag.
Polo
Polo Ralph Lauren is the official outfitter of the 2008 U.S. Olympic teams. Team U.S.A. was wearing navy blazers at the opening ceremony as Kobe Bryant is pictured here in his Polo getup, but you can expect to see plenty of red, white, and blue attire at the closing ceremony.
U.S. athletes Deontay Wilder (boxing), Joy Fahrenkrog (archery), Brianna Glenn (track and field) and Giuseppe Lanzone (rowing) show off Ralph Lauren’s sporty sophistication and refined sensibility. These items are available here
Adidas
Adidas has been with Olympics since 1928, when founder Adi Dassler first created products for athletes competing in the Amsterdam Olympic Games. Over the past 80 years, Adidas has provided products for famous Olympians such as Jesse Owens, Wilma Rudolph, and Nadia Comaneci. As the official sportswear partner for the 2008 summer Olympics, the brand, for the first time ever, will be selling the same products that the Adidas athletes are wearing during the games. Adidas’s “Made For Beijing Collection” covers 26 of the 28 Olympic sports, and has limited-edition footwear such as these boxing shoes. Products are available here
These Microbounce + Medal Pack limited-edition footwear collection in gold, silver, and bronze is available at Adidas stores in New York, Las Vegas and San Francisco.
Speedo
For Speedo’s 80th anniversary, the swimwear brand collaborated with Japanese fashion label Comme des Garcons to develop the LZR Racer, which has been called the world’s fastest swimsuit. Made from low-drag, water-repellent, and fast-drying fabric, this super-suit is ultrasonically welded, making it literally seamless. Domme des Garcons designer Rei Kawakubo says:
I was interested in expressing the energy and the power that comes from the spirit, embodied in the meaning of the calligraphy, together with the will to win for one’s country.”
Three silhouettes of the LZR Razer will be available for men and women this fall.
Natalie Coughlin, five-time Olympic medalist wears one of the suits. Speedo harnessed the expertise of N.A.S.A. to make it, and Kawakubo placed sweeping brush strokes in metallic silver on the suit’s side panel. Japanese artist Inoue Yu-ichi painted calligraphy that represents the heart, spirit, and mind.
Gucci
And finally, Gucci with the 08-08-2008 collection. Creative Director Frida Giannini epitomizes sporty luxury in the 8 exclusive accessories taking her cue from the competitive sports.
Items include panda-bear, bike, watch, shoes, bags. Aren’t you loving it?
Also collection includes sports shoes, for both men and women, articulated in a fresh patchwork of suede, patent leather and gold trim.
