By Lauren Lucy

As the 2022 Olympic Winter games began Friday, February 4 in Beijing, China, eyes from all over the world were on the athletes… and their apparel. During the opening ceremony, some could claim they were not watching world-renowned athletes, but rather a fashion competition between the countries. Not only were these athletes competing for gold medals, but also for the title of “best dressed” by showing off the stylish outfits and material advancements of their countries. 

During February, TikTok feeds were blowing up with content from the 2022 Winter Olympics. Athletes attending the Olympics were sharing “outfit checks” and trends that showed all the amenities and gifts they received. Maddie Mastro, a popular United States snowboarder under the TikTok username @maddie_mastro, gained a following by giving her followers a sneak peek at what it’s like to be an athlete at the Olympics. In her videos, viewers were captivated by the variety of clothing and style statements the athletes were gifted.

Fashion within the Olympics is not just to promote the designers and brands, but also to show pride for the country through what they wear. The official uniforms of all teams were connected to their respective nation’s flags, traditions, and culture. Many uniforms contained details that represented events and traditions from home countries. For example, the Chinese Olympic uniform contained traditional Tang dynasty fabrics and other traditional Chinese cultural elements. 

Some countries decided to incorporate their flags on their uniform, while others hoisted them. During the Olympic Opening Ceremonies, Italy and France both sported jackets that replicated their country’s flag. On the other hand, the Mongolian athletes wore deels, traditional Mongolian tunics, and held their flag. Columbia chose to wear the Andean ruana, a poncho-style garment, that represents their national dress.  

The countries that were the most engaged in fashion competition were Canada, Australia, Russia, Switzerland, the United States, and Mexico. 

The most liked fashion pieces were from Canada’s partnership with yoga and athletic wear company lululemon. During the Opening Ceremony on February 4, Canadian athletes rocked lululemon from head to toe. Lululemon designed outfits that were bright red, and for the Closing Ceremony on February 20, a winter white. Many of the pieces from lululemon’s kit consisted of Canada’s national symbol, the maple leaf, undergoing metamorphosis. Lululemon mimicked a leaf in metamorphosis by incorporating many different shades of red into the different items. 

Lululemon’s creative director Audrey Riley stated, “The Opening Ceremony is this beautiful journey of draping and drenching red on the body. The flip side is the Closing Ceremony. There is nothing more overt than an opposite, and that contrast is the winter white story. The silhouettes have a different proportion – it’s all about bringing to life the metamorphosis print on the exterior and ultimately the spirit of that moment in time, the party of the Closing Ceremony.” 

Lululemon’s ability to capture a story under Canada’s national symbol, which was both visually appealing and incorporates high technological materials, was absolutely spectacular.

Image credit: Team Canada/@TeamCanada Twitter.

Australia, sponsored by Sportscraft, created a variety of apparel featuring their country’s pride and involvement in the Olympic Games over the years. The coat was made from a dark-green wool-blend similar to the green in Australia’s national flag for The Commonwealth Coat of Arms, which is the official symbol of the Commonwealth of Australia and represents Australia’s national unity. The inside of the coat contained the names of all 265 Australian Winter Olympians, and the buttons on the coat bore the Australian Olympic crest.

Photo credit: Lintao Zhang/Getty Images.

Originally, Russia was banned from competing due to a doping scandal in 2016, but in 2020, their term of suspension was reduced from four years to two, giving them eligibility in this year’s Olympics. By order of the Olympic committee, their uniforms this year were not representative of their flag or logo. So the Beijing Olympics outfits for Russian athletes, designed by Zasport, had the Russian Olympic Committee’s symbol of the three flames in red, white, and blue over the Olympic rings. Although the uniforms were red, white, and blue, Zasport included cyan and its shades in almost all styles.

Photo credit: Matthew Stockman/Getty Images.

This year, for the first time, Switzerland was sponsored by a Swiss brand, Albright, a brand of Ochsner Sport. The apparel included lots of red, the traditional color of the Swiss flag, a red jacket with a thick white stripe down the zipper, and the pants featured four white Swiss crosses up the leg. Along with a few other countries, Switzerland created its gear with sustainable materials in order to improve heat retention properties.

Photo credit: Maddie Meyer/Getty Images.

The United States, with the help of American designer Ralph Lauren, who has designed the Olympic uniforms since 2008, had a subtle yet thoughtful approach to this year’s Olympic uniforms. While the uniforms contained the American flag and bore the country’s official colors (red, white, and blue), the design was inspired by themes from NASA. Interestingly, all clothing items from U.S. apparel were made with polyester fiber from recycled post-consumer plastic bottles. The jacket used Intelligent Insulation technology, which is a wired tech that expands or contracts the fabric with temperature changes. The U.S. also added more brands to sponsor this year in order to add a larger variety to the Team USA collection. Some brands that were added included Spyder, Columbia Sportswear, Volcom, Nike, and Kim Kardashian’s shapewear brand SKIMS.

Photo credit: Matthew Stockman/Getty Images.

Lastly, Mexico created the perfect balance of style and culture when entering the opening ceremony. The team walked in wearing jackets with a Calavera, the sugar skull best associated with the Day of the Dead holiday, which also appeared on the beanies. Some of the female athletes wore flower crowns as a touch of cultural identity to not only portray the beauty of the country’s biodiversity and ecosystems but honoring its ancient culture.

Photo credit: David Ramos/Getty Images.

In all, the passion for fashion within The Olympics helps athletes show pride for their country within their clothes. From these given top six, which country do you think won?

Featured image credit: Wikimedia Commons.