by MILAN — The Olympic fever is getting higher and higher.
As sportswear brands begin putting their cards on the table and unveiling the kits they’ve designed for national teams — including Nike’s kits for the U.S. athletes and Lululemon’s for Team Canada earlier this month — Berluti will unveil the uniform he created for the Team officially on Wednesday. France to wear at the opening ceremonies of the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games on July 26 and August 28, respectively.
More from WWD
The LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton-controlled brand, which chose the date for the unveiling as it began the 100-day countdown to the event, was guided by two keywords in the creative process: elegance and comfort. Within these limits, the brand worked on a concept that could promote French sophistication and Made in Italy craftsmanship on a global scale.
“It is a unique opportunity for our group and one of our French masks, Berluti, to dress the French athletes from head to toe for the opening ceremonies. This is one of the most watched events in the world, often with several billion viewers worldwide,” said Antoine Arnault, chairman of Berluti and head of communication, image and environment at LVMH.
“A project like this comes along once in a lifetime and I hope that those who see the outfits now, on July 26 or August 28 for the Olympic and Paralympic opening ceremonies, will recognize the passion and craftsmanship of the Berluti teams who created this special order of 1,500 suits with the same care as if they were making 100 percent made-to-measure suits and shoes,” he said.
Vanessa Le Goff, Berluti’s director of collection and ready-to-wear merchandising, said the team had “carte blanche about the concept of the uniforms, as long as they were achieved in the spirit of sustainability.”
“We’ve always been thinking about excellence, so of course all fabrics are certified and the suppliers who produced the pieces are the same ones we work with for our own collections,” said Le Goff, describing the project as “a really proud moment. ” for the company and its artisans.
For the event, the in-house team collaborated with Carine Roitfeld, who proposed the tuxedo as a starting point for the designs, as for the first time the opening ceremony will not take place in a stadium but in the heart of the city, along the Seine river, at dusk. The festive mood and bold logistics promise to offer a moment not to be missed, and the event is likely to be the biggest ceremony in the history of the Games as it will be open to more than 300,000 ticket holders and plenty of spectators, as well as those who will be tuning in. remotely from the rest of the world.
“Obviously this was an unprecedented project for me,” Roitfeld said of dressing the 1,500 athletes and designing clothes “even for such a historic moment”.
“I immediately chose the tuxedo – a quintessentially French garment – paired with a shawl collar with Berluti’s signature patina effect in the national colors of France. All eyes will be on the athletes and coaches for the big day, so I hope they feel stylish,” she said.
The sartorial choice has been tweaked in different versions to meet the demands of the athletes and to put them at ease. While male athletes will don a classic midnight blue wool tuxedo, female competitors will have a sleeveless option and will be given the choice between throw pants or a wrap skirt in silk.
Ditto for shoes, Berluti’s signature category, produced at its manufacturing plant in Ferrara, Italy. For the occasion, the brand reworked the Lorenzo loafer, traditionally for men, to adapt it to women’s sizes. Crafted from supple leather and with an extra flexible sole, the lightweight style comes in navy finished off with Berluti’s signature patina effect in black. Additional details are red stitching on the side, and the shade is exclusive to the athletes of the Games.
Women will be able to choose between the Lorenzo loafer and the Shadow sneaker, which will also be the go-to choice for male athletes. The sporty style – whose four-year run ends in 2021 – was first introduced by former Berluti designer Kris Van Assche at Arnault’s request. Since then the sneaker has been one of the brand’s biggest hits, thanks to its mesh upper, rubber sole and Venezia leather detailing on the heel and tongue of the shoe.
In the version created exclusively for the opening ceremonies, the style is rendered in an all-navy design with black detailing. The upper is embroidered with the Berluti logo on the side as well as “Paris 2024” lettering on the ankle. However the main achievement is the details of his leather, revisited with a gradient effect mixing the colors of the French flag.
The national bleu, blanc and rouge have been restored in many details, enriching the whole outfit. In addition to the shawl collars of jackets and vests, the colors also define pocket squares and tie scarves around the neck. Leather belts with Berluti’s signature buckle were hand-painted to recreate the same effect, which in its own way nicely ties in with the vague concept of the French team’s sports kit for the actual competitions designed by Pigalle Paris founder Stéphane Ashpool and supplied by Le Coq Sportif .
In Berluti’s clothing, references to the French flag were also made with subtle blue and red stitching on the eyelets of the white shirts or on the inside labels reading “Artisan of All Victories,” the tag line chosen by LVMH when it signed on as a partner of the excellent of the global sporting event. An additional label sewn onto the linings reiterates the role of the in-house artisans in the creation of the garments and their proximity to athletes.
“It’s to show that we are very proud to dress up our athletes and we want them to be very proud too,” said Le Goff, who is one of the 180 people involved in the project.
The enthusiasm that enabled the creation of the clothes quickly, with the first sketches drawn in September and the final designs refined by November of last year, was an additional boost, thanks also to a constant dialogue between Berluti and the athletes.
Le Goff said the main priority was to avoid suit-y uniforms and make the delegations comfortable, as most athletes “wear tracksuits most of the time, and they were afraid to look on the story. like stiff, maybe.”
The feedback received by the Berluti team was crucial in defining style decisions, especially those coming from the Paralympic athletes. In one case, the idea of choosing full or pleated skirts was abandoned after realizing how impractical it could be for athletes in a wheelchair, and initial plans to offer the Lorenzo loafer in a mule were scrapped. after athletes with artificial limbs discovered the original. more comfortable style for its raised grip.
Former French athlete and Olympic gold medalist Brice Guyart was among those who facilitated these conversations due to his active role as part of the Games committee, as well as bringing his own experience to the table .
“Usually you put the athlete in a uniform and that’s it. This time, it’s really tailored: We’ll have retouches and outfits until the last day for each athlete, so they can feel good in the uniform,” said Guyart. “Also for the Paralympic Games, there could be a lot of changes involved, because some of the athletes might want their handicaps to be seen, while others wouldn’t. So [the outfit] fully adjustable,” he said.
Guyart noted how this approach, combined with the handcrafted finishing of the leather details, makes each piece unique, making athletes feel extra special on such an event. He also emphasized how noble fabrics such as silk and wool were used in the outfits, which made them different compared to the more sporty and technical gear of the past or of other national teams.
“I remember my previous opening ceremonies – when I saw the American delegation, I was always [positively stunned],” Guyart recalled. “We will be bigger than usual because we are the host country and there will be a bigger delegation, and it is really important that we dress well for the confidence and the impact we will have on others in that moment…. there is a mental aspect to it: the first medals will be won at the opening ceremony,” he said.
The best of WWD
