Skip to main content

Site navigation

  • University of Technology Sydney home
  • Home

    Home
  • For students

  • For industry

  • Research

Explore

  • Courses
  • Events
  • News
  • Stories
  • People

For you

  • Libraryarrow_right_alt
  • Staffarrow_right_alt
  • Alumniarrow_right_alt
  • Current studentsarrow_right_alt
  • Study at UTS

    • arrow_right_alt Find a course
    • arrow_right_alt Course areas
    • arrow_right_alt Undergraduate students
    • arrow_right_alt Postgraduate students
    • arrow_right_alt Research Masters and PhD
    • arrow_right_alt Online study and short courses
  • Student information

    • arrow_right_alt Current students
    • arrow_right_alt New UTS students
    • arrow_right_alt Graduates (Alumni)
    • arrow_right_alt High school students
    • arrow_right_alt Indigenous students
    • arrow_right_alt International students
  • Admissions

    • arrow_right_alt How to apply
    • arrow_right_alt Entry pathways
    • arrow_right_alt Eligibility
arrow_right_altVisit our hub for students

For you

  • Libraryarrow_right_alt
  • Staffarrow_right_alt
  • Alumniarrow_right_alt
  • Current studentsarrow_right_alt

POPULAR LINKS

  • Apply for a coursearrow_right_alt
  • Current studentsarrow_right_alt
  • Scholarshipsarrow_right_alt
  • Featured industries

    • arrow_right_alt Agriculture and food
    • arrow_right_alt Defence and space
    • arrow_right_alt Energy and transport
    • arrow_right_alt Government and policy
    • arrow_right_alt Health and medical
    • arrow_right_alt Corporate training
  • Explore

    • arrow_right_alt Tech Central
    • arrow_right_alt Case studies
    • arrow_right_alt Research
arrow_right_altVisit our hub for industry

For you

  • Libraryarrow_right_alt
  • Staffarrow_right_alt
  • Alumniarrow_right_alt
  • Current studentsarrow_right_alt

POPULAR LINKS

  • Find a UTS expertarrow_right_alt
  • Partner with usarrow_right_alt
  • Explore

    • arrow_right_alt Explore our research
    • arrow_right_alt Research centres and institutes
    • arrow_right_alt Graduate research
    • arrow_right_alt Research partnerships
arrow_right_altVisit our hub for research

For you

  • Libraryarrow_right_alt
  • Staffarrow_right_alt
  • Alumniarrow_right_alt
  • Current studentsarrow_right_alt

POPULAR LINKS

  • Find a UTS expertarrow_right_alt
  • Research centres and institutesarrow_right_alt
  • University of Technology Sydney home
Explore the University of Technology Sydney
Category Filters:
University of Technology Sydney home University of Technology Sydney home
  1. home
  2. arrow_forward_ios ... Newsroom
  3. arrow_forward_ios ... 2024
  4. arrow_forward_ios 07
  5. arrow_forward_ios The top five uniforms to look out for at the Paris Olympics

The top five uniforms to look out for at the Paris Olympics

26 July 2024

Sustainability, cultural significance, and high fashion: the top five uniforms to look out for at the 2024 Paris Olympics

Mongolia’s uniform from Michel&Amazonka.Treena Clark, University of Technology Sydney

Fashion is many things. It is practical, it is communicative, it is commercial, and it is competitive.

Looking towards the fashion of Paris 2024, some countries have multiple uniforms for the opening and closing ceremonies, podiums, media and sporting events. Some countries tell subtle or extravagant stories of their nations. The Parisian style of the host city inspires some.

Some countries want to use the latest technology to produce sustainable fabrics or recycled materials. Some countries have used designers and brands to fashion their formal uniforms.

Their commonality is they represent their country and communicate their national presence and essence.

My top five opening and closing ceremony uniforms have been considered. The countries with notable fashion brands are not favoured; my selections are based on the design’s story, meaning and overall aesthetic. These top five evoke a creative expression of national pride that resonates with my lens and preference of fashion and style.

Haiti

The Haitian opening ceremony uniform, fashioned by Haitian-Italian designer Stella Jean, represents and showcases Haiti’s beauty, strength and craft.

A man and a woman in bright patterns.The Haitian Opening Ceremony uniform showcases Haiti’s beauty, strength and craft. Stella Jean

Included are the work of the Haitian painter Philippe Dodard in the women’s full-A-line skirt and the men’s pants and scarf. Pairing brilliantly with the art are the other layers of blue and white.

The women are styled in Haitian woven chambray shirts, representing the Haitian tradition of chambray production. Recycled fabric is the basis of the women’s short-sleeved white blazer, which features the Haitian Olympic emblem.

The men’s blue jacket is inspired by Haitian Guayabera shirts, both significant for the designer and a common Haitian garment. This jacket features the Haitian Olympic emblem and underneath a blue-striped shirt.

Mongolia

Mongolia’s opening and closing ceremony uniforms were crafted by the three-sister fashion label Michel&Amazonka. Each uniform, which averaged 20 hours to make, incorporates multiple cultural and Olympic-themed motifs.

A close up.Mongolia’s uniform, from Michel&Amazonka, features intricate stitched details. Michel&Amazonka

These intricate details include the emblem of Mongolia, the “Soyombo”; Parisian and Olympic motifs, such as the Olympic torch and rings; and mountain and cloud landscapes.

Four different opening and closing ceremony uniforms were designed for the male and female flag bearers and athletes. The flag bearers wear a traditional-inspired caftan and a belt; the athletes in pants and skirt.

All four looks showcase embroidered vests, with the men sporting blue and the women white. The vest, front and centre, announces “Go Mongolia Team”.

Canada

Canada’s lululemon-crafted uniforms were designed after consultation with 19 Olympic and Paralympic athletes across 14 diverse sports.

A woman yellsCanada’s closing ceremony uniform features Saddle Cree artist Mason Mashon’s print inspired by the northern lights. Team Canada x lululemon

National pride was identified as a key priority and is significantly present in the uniforms. The other priorities were practicality, flexibility and comfort.

In the opening ceremony uniform, the brand custom-designed a print representing Canadian art, design and environment.

The equistite closing ceremony uniform features First Nations (Saddle Cree) artist Mason Mashon’s print inspired by the northern lights.

Each uniform has been crafted for comfort, including a packable rain poncho, a bomber jacket with interior straps to act as a makeshift backpack and water-resistant shirts.

Ireland

Designer Laura Weber’s creation of the Irish Opening Ceremony outfits and Closing Ceremony jackets is heavy with symbolism and sustainability.

Based in New York, the designer created the uniform for the athletes to feel their best, be comfortable in the fabrics, and celebrate their Irish culture.

A woman stands in a fieldThe Irish opening and closing ceremony jacket is heavy with symbolism and sustainability. Laura Weber

The sustainable fabric, made from recycled t-shirts and PET bottles (ECO-Hybrid taffeta), pulls moisture from the skin.

Deciding against a prominent green, the aesthetic of the uniform is a crisp white with delicate embroidery featured throughout.

The embroidery includes the Irish flag in the pant piping, hand-made shamrock brooches on the jacket lapel, hand-tufted letters spelling Ireland, and custom, individual patches representing the county emblem of each athlete.

Chinese Taipei/Taiwan

The ceremonial uniform of Taiwan, refered to by the International Olympic Committee as Chinese Taipei, represents eco-friendly materials and cultural heritage. Designed by the founder of Just In XX, Justin Chou, the stretchy and textured material represents Taiwan’s oceans, cities and mountains.

Three people in a moody photograph.The stretchy and textured material in these uniforms from Justin Chou represents Taiwan’s oceans, cities and mountains. Just In XX

The outfits are made from materials that cool down the body when in contact with water or sweat.

Collaborations with artisan Yen Yu-Ying produced shoe tops made from banana silk woven leather. Lin Pei-ying crafted handmade plum blossom, Taiwan’s national flower, and rapeseed flowers to adorn the coat.

Abstract artist Lin Guo-Qing created the shirt and scarf print. Designed in red, white, and blue team colours, the repeated text in a crosshatch pattern reads Chinese Taipei and, when reversed, Jiayou, an expression of encouragement.

Looking forward to the ceremonies

These uniforms are for the athletes to perform their best, be proud of their national outfits and feel they genuinely represent them.

All the uniforms are captivating, whether simple, elegant, innovative, practical, unique or futuristic.

I am drawn to the design processes and stories of these five countries’ uniforms. Translating a country’s design through sporting fashions is a considerable challenge – and one these countries have risen to.The Conversation

Treena Clark, Chancellor’s Indigenous Research Fellow, Faculty of Design, Architecture and Building, University of Technology Sydney

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Share
Share this on Facebook Share this on Twitter Share this on LinkedIn
Back to Culture and sport

Related News

  • Julie Rrap, Disclosures: A Photographic Construct (detail), 1982, installation view. Julie Rrap: Past Continuous, Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, 2024, black and white archival prints, colour cibachrome prints, Museum of Contemporary Art, purchased 1994. Image courtesy the artist and Museum of Contemporary Art Australia © the artist. Photograph: Zan Wimberley.
    The time-warping brilliance of Australian artist Julie Rrap
  • Stephen Fry and Lena Dunham in Treasure.
    Lily Brett’s novel, Too Many Men was published 25 years ago. Now it's a film: Treasure
  • Migrant workers on the assembly line making toys in Dongguan, Guandong. 2015. Photo: Zhan Youbing, CC BY 4.0
    Delving into the inner lives of women in neoliberal China

Acknowledgement of Country

UTS acknowledges the Gadigal People of the Eora Nation and the Boorooberongal People of the Dharug Nation upon whose ancestral lands our campuses now stand. We would also like to pay respect to the Elders both past and present, acknowledging them as the traditional custodians of knowledge for these lands. 

University of Technology Sydney

City Campus

15 Broadway, Ultimo, NSW 2007

Get in touch with UTS

Follow us

  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • Facebook

A member of

  • Australian Technology Network
Use arrow keys to navigate within each column of links. Press Tab to move between columns.

Study

  • Find a course
  • Undergraduate
  • Postgraduate
  • How to apply
  • Scholarships and prizes
  • International students
  • Campus maps
  • Accommodation

Engage

  • Find an expert
  • Industry
  • News
  • Events
  • Experience UTS
  • Research
  • Stories
  • Alumni

About

  • Who we are
  • Faculties
  • Learning and teaching
  • Sustainability
  • Initiatives
  • Equity, diversity and inclusion
  • Campus and locations
  • Awards and rankings
  • UTS governance

Staff and students

  • Current students
  • Help and support
  • Library
  • Policies
  • StaffConnect
  • Working at UTS
  • UTS Handbook
  • Contact us
  • Copyright © 2025
  • ABN: 77 257 686 961
  • CRICOS provider number: 00099F
  • TEQSA provider number: PRV12060
  • TEQSA category: Australian University
  • Privacy
  • Copyright
  • Disclaimer
  • Accessibility