Paris Olympics 2024: Key Fashion Takeaways

Published 11 July 2024

Author

4 min read

As anticipation builds for the 2024 Olympics (taking place in Paris from July 26 – August 11) amid an industry-wide sportswear obsession, fashion brands have been quick to get in on the action. From sartorial team kits to nostalgia-fueled collaborations, we highlight the key fashion takeaways from the games, spanning lifestyle, performance and licensing.

On-Trend Uniforms: While fashion brands designing team kits for Olympians is not a new concept, the current burgeoning trend favours sartorially-conscious uniforms that hold major crossover appeal for mainstream fashion and streetwear-adjacent audiences. Some standouts from this year’s games include Lululemon x Team Canada (as well as a volleyball partnership with swimwear startup Left on Friday), J.Lindeberg for Team USA golf, LW Pearl's Laura Weber's heritage-inspired uniforms for for Team Ireland, and Team France in kits by Stéphane Ashpool of luxe streetwear label Pigalle.

Additionally, newly introduced sports like breaking leverage streetwear design codes in their performancewear, with Amsterdam-based The New Originals outfitting the Dutch team and Nike debuting its first ever breaking shoe (the Nike Jam) for the games. Elsewhere sustainable Brazilian sneaker brand Cariuma has designed the uniforms for the Slovakian, Portuguese, and Dutch skateboarding teams, tapping into the rapidly rising popularity of skate that appeals across both lifestyle and performance. Read Sports & Active: Key Growth Trends and Open-Source Sports for more.

Lululemon for Team Canada

Left on Friday for Team Canada

Lululemon for Team Canada

Left on Friday for Team Canada

Stéphane Ashpool for Team France

Cariuma for Team Portugal

J.Lindeberg for Team USA

Laura Weber for Team Ireland

The New Originals for Team Netherlands

Nike

Stéphane Ashpool for Team France

Cariuma for Team Portugal

J.Lindeberg for Team USA

Laura Weber for Team Ireland

The New Originals for Team Netherlands

Nike

Post-Performance Innovation: Team kits aside, the Olympics is the perfect time for sporting brands to unveil new athlete-focused innovation. In collaboration with US brand Hyperice which specialises in recovery gear for athletes, Nike has introduced a vest and boots designed to aid both in pre-game warm-ups and post-performance cool-downs. While kits and performance wear continue to hold huge commercial appeal for both athletes and fans, there’s also ample opportunity for brands to explore in spaces like recovery and protective gear.

Nike x Hyperice

Nostalgic Tie-Ins: But it’s not all about the athletes. A myriad of brands spanning high street to luxury level are capitalising on the ongoing sportswear Merch Boom, chanelling retro, collegiate-style aesthetics in their Olympics tie-in collections. Key callouts include J. Crew's All American collaboration with Team USA swimming, Ralph Lauren’s heritage-focused uniforms, Lacoste’s Paris 1924 capsule, and a licensed collaboration from Skims (the official underwear partner of Team USA) that spans lounge, sleep, swim, and underwear.

In a more fashion-led take, LoveShackFancy teamed up with Cotton Inc. (both US) for the New Americana collection, the campaign for which starred US gymnast Suni Lee in a variety of romantic dresses. Don’t feel restricted to casual loungewear when thinking about merch opportunities, as sportswear’s reach is wider than ever.

J. Crew

Ralph Lauren

Lacoste

J. Crew

Ralph Lauren

Lacoste

Skims

LoveShackFancy

Skims

LoveShackFancy

Skims

Ultra-Luxe Pivots: As explored in Luxury Fashion’s Cultural Pivot, fashion’s continued infusion of pop culture references and high/low crossovers is here to stay, with sports remaining a central focus. On the recent A/W 24 couture runways, brands like Thom Browne, Dior, and Schiaparelli seemed inspired by the upcoming games, evoking everything from heritage sports aesthetics to classic Grecian silhouettes. Elsewhere the 2024 Paris edition of Vogue World – as well as Vogue France’s June/July cover paid homage to the Olympics and classic sporting uniforms (think horseriding and gymnastics), and was attended by a number of athletes.