Adidas unveils Stella McCartney designed Team GB kits for Rio Olympics
Adidas has unveiled the Stella McCartney designed kit which Team GB athletes will wear when they attempt to shape history at the Rio Olympics.
A number of Team GB athletes including Jessica Ennis-Hill, Tom Daley and Gordon Reid unveiled the new kits at the Seymour Leisure Centre in Marylebone, London today (27 April).
The Team GB and ParalympicsGB kit marks the culmination of a two year creative process which was led by creative designer Stella McCartney.
Having previously created the 2012 Team GB Olympic kits McCartney has taken a bold approach to the new kits which feature an official and totally unique British Coat of Arms.
Commissioned by Adidas and created by The College of Arms the new coat of arms has been designed to act as a unifying symbol across the two teams and multiple sports. It includes references to all four home nations and has been granted to the British Olympic Association (BOA) and British Paralympic Association (BPA) for use in the Rio games.
The kit’s colours encompass the red, blue and white theme of the Union Flag which is present through the contemporary silhouettes and innovative textures.
Adidas and McCartney designed the apparel with extensive consultation with 2012 Olympic and Paralympic medalists Jessica Ennis-Hill, Tom Daley and Laura Trott who helped during the testing phase.
Love the @adidasUK 2016 Olympic kit. The new design looks great. Think it looks better on me though! pic.twitter.com/0HANXe8CGz
— Jonathan Brownlee (@jonny_brownlee) April 27, 2016
For the kits Adidas created a new generation of lightweight, breathable synthetic Adizero fabric which is on average 10 per cent lighter than that used in the 2012 version. The garments also feature Adidas’ Clima technology which conducts heat and sweat away from the body.
Unveiled.
Our kit for #Rio2016 is here.@adidasUK pic.twitter.com/ufIdyXqGAM
— Team GB (@TeamGB) April 27, 2016
Discussing the creative process McCartney said: “The goal for Rio 2016 was to rewrite the rules of performance and design for athletes, allowing them to look and feel like champions on and off the field.
The inspiration behind the design was this idea of contrasting British tradition with a modern attitude. The new Coat Of Arms, specially commissioned for this project, and traditional Union Flag hues sit alongside bold textures and modern silhouettes to create a strong identity and make the athletes feel like a team.”
Adidas UK brand director, Barry Moore, said athletes are “at the heart of everything we do at Adidas,” and added that the technology entwined throughout the kit would help “Team GB and ParalympicsGB in their pursuit for medals in Rio.”
British Olympic Association chief executive, Bill Sweeney, described the kits as “iconic” and praised the technological detail which had gone into creative process.
The Adidas Team GB replica and merchandise apparel will be available to purchase from sports retailers from 1 May.