CTV.ca | Olympic fever hits world of designer fashion

Sat. Aug. 16 2008 5:36 AM ET

Olympic fever hits world of designer fashion

Jeanine Poggi, Forbes.com

Models and Olympic athletes model Canadian Olympic replica wear, which are worn by Canada's Olympic athletes in the athletes village at the Beijing Games. The design team at Hudson's Bay Company say they've stepped up the style quotient for the Summer Games in Beijing with their first-ever collection comprising earth-friendly materials like bamboo, organic cotton and cacona, which is derived from coconut. (J.P. Moczulski / THE CANADIAN PRESS)

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Olympic rower Krista Gulien models Canadian Olympic replica wear, during a fashion show in Toronto, Wednesday, April 30, 2008. (J.P. Moczulski / THE CANADIAN PRESS)

Athleticism won't be the only thing on display in Beijing. The world's top designers, from Polo Ralph Lauren to Gucci to Alexander McQueen, are getting involved in the Games, taking advantage of the opportunity to kick-start or expand their business in the booming Chinese market.

The designers will also be able to attract attention from people of several other nations, as the Summer Olympics are expected to draw over 4 billion viewers worldwide, the largest audience ever to watch the Games. And about 3 million domestic and overseas visitors are expected to be traveling to Beijing. This creates an enormous global outlet for designers to showcase their work.

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"This is a different kind of Olympics," says Tony Alcindor, vice president of public relations and marketing at Ports 1961, which is outfitting four of NBC's Olympic commentators. "It has become a global mission for sports and fashion to come together to do something good, despite the political drama surrounding the games."

New Event, Same Relationship

The Olympics merely present the best opportunity for visibility. The collaboration between fashion and sports, with joint ventures between athletes and labels other than Nike and Adidas, is nothing new.

Dolce & Gabbana partnered with Italy's Milano Beach Soccer league in the 2006-2007 season, and Cavalli's June 2008 campaign featured five players from the Italian rugby team. Collaborations, such as Stella McCartney and Adidas and Alexander McQueen and Puma, are making sportswear fashionable as well as performance-friendly.

This relationship between contemporary fashion and global sportswear is even the subject of a new exhibit at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London beginning Aug. 5. There will be about 60 outfits--including performance sportswear--on display to show the influence of sportswear on high fashion.

"Fashion and sports have a lot to give to each other," says Ligaya Salazar, the show's curator. "Fashion has the freedom of creativity, while sportswear has the knowledge of the best fabrics to make items functional."

One Giant Fashion Show

With so many people watching, all at once, the Olympics present an unparalleled opportunity for designers to connect with the sports world and build brand recognition. Ralph Lauren in particular is raising its presence in the sports arena as the official outfitter of the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic teams.

"Polo wants to maintain its association with the elite, and the Olympics is one of the most austere sporting events," says Milton Pedraza, CEO of The Luxury Institute, a market research organization that focuses on high-net-worth consumers.

For the Olympics, Ralph Lauren's collection includes apparel for the opening and closing ceremonies, as well as pieces for the U.S. teams to wear around the Olympic village when they aren't competing. The opening-ceremony outfits are a return to the classics that reflect the heritage and sensibility of the 1920s and '30s, while the closing ceremony outfits have a sportier edge.

"As our athletes take to this world stage they are representing the best of America, and we are proud to be a part of that," says David Lauren, senior vice president of advertising, marketing and corporate communications.

Apparel from the entire collection is currently available in Polo Ralph Lauren U.S. retail stores, select department stores and online.

Luxury Lines

Gucci and Prada have also embarked on limited-edition collections in celebration of the Olympics.

Gucci's 8-8-2008 Limited Edition features eight accessories, splashed in bold red, that epitomize luxury. An I-Gucci digital watch, bicycle, Mah Jong set, leather panda, two-piece luggage set and men's and women's sports shoes all make up the collection.

"Not only does red evoke happiness and celebration--two emotions that couldn't be more appropriate to describe the excitement in the world of sports--but it also happens to be a very fashionable color for 2008," says Frida Giannini, creative director for Gucci. "I also designed just eight products for this collection, which mirror the lucky number 8 in Chinese culture."

Though the I-Gucci watch will be offered worldwide for US$1,415, all other designs will be sold exclusively in Hong Kong and mainland China.

And some designers are getting in on the Olympics in the name of charity rather than profit. Lane Crawford, a high-end specialty store with locations throughout Hong Kong and China, invited 12 world-renowned designers, including 3.1 Phillip Lim, Burberry Prorsum, Givenchy, Stella McCartney and Yves Saint Laurent, to create one-of-a-kind outfits inspired by Olympic events. "The Collective: Synergy in Fashion" is on display at Today's Museum in Beijing throughout August.

The garments will be auctioned, with 100 per cent of the proceeds benefiting the Special Relief Funds for Children affected by the Sichuan earthquake.

Whatever the goal, however, be it profit or philanthropy, the opportunity is unprecedented for designers, since the Olympics is an event that everyone, in some way, can identify with.

"Competition, failure, achievement, these are all things entrepreneurs and people on Wall Street deal with on a daily basis," says Pedraza. "We all understand the feeling of being only as good as your last achievement."

It's that feeling designers are counting on to capitalize on for two weeks in August.

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