Advertisement

Change of seasons: Bogner outfits German team for Summer Olympics

Share

This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.

For the 2012 London Olympics, it looks like Bogner is marching in from the cold.

That’s because, after kitting out the German athletes for 17 consecutive Winter Olympic Games, the Munich-based clothing label will be dressing the team for the opening and closing ceremonies of the Summer Games that get underway in London on July 27.

The parade outfits consist of zippered jackets -- bright pink weatherproof shells for the ladies and the same in baby blue for the men -- paired with white chinos and white shirts and accessorized with a lightweight pink or blue plaid scarf. (The shoes are by German footwear brand Sioux).

Advertisement

With the bright colors and bold zipper accents (dark blue on the men’s jackets, white on the women’s), the only thing that keeps these clothes from looking like they just schussed off the slopes and into the wrong season are the summery white hipster fedoras that complete the look, each boasting a hatband in the black, red and yellow stripes of the German flag.

As with past Olympic collections, Bogner’s design team has created a unique emblem that melds design elements from the home country and the host city. For the London Olympics it’s heraldry-inspired embroidery consisting of a shield design flanked by a stylized dragon (a nod to London’s heraldic critter) and a stylized eagle (appropriated from the German flag). The design appears on the left breast jacket pocket of the men’s jackets, and on the left sleeve pocket of the women’s version.

But there’s a trick up Bogner’s sleeve, which would be another sleeve, since the jackets are designed to be reversible, with the brightly colored nylon shells converting into navy blue blazers (complete with buttons) for evenings and more formal situations. ‘It is also important,’ the company explains in its press materials, ‘that athletes maintain a distinguished appearance, as they will be meeting a host of international diplomats and world class athletes and celebrities.’

The apparel brand’s first presence at a Summer Olympics comes as the company celebrates its 80th anniversary. Founded in 1932 by German ski champion Willy Bogner Sr. and his wife Maria, the company got its start when he started importing skis and knit skiwear from Norway, and really got a boost after the 1948 debut of Maria’s invention -- which just so happened to be elastic stretch pants.

The German athletes’ competition wear and casual wear will be provided, as it has been in the past, by another German company with a long Olympic history: Adidas.

RELATED:

Advertisement

Ralph Lauren unveils U.S. Olympic team closing ceremony garb

Giorgio Armani to outfit Italian national team for 2012 Olympics

Loudmouth Golf to outfit U.S. Olympic men’s beach volleyball team

-- Adam Tschorn

Photos, from top: German athletes debut their Bogner-designed opening ceremony outfits, which include pink (for women) and baby blue (for men) weatherproof jackets and white chinos; the men’s and women’s jackets, with heraldry-inspired embroidery; a model wears the reversible jacket with the navy blue ‘formal’ side out. Credit: Bogner

Advertisement