When Team USA participants’ summer Olympic attire was revealed by Ralph Lauren in June, it was expected of a high-end fashion designer whose creations would be viewed by millions of people on television.
However, among individuals employed in the motorsports sector, one specific outfit was particularly noticeable. The athletes’ outfit, which will be worn during Sunday’s closing ceremony, drew their attention. It is a clean white denim uniform with racing stripes, patches on the upper half, and bold text embroidered across the chest. “Team USA” is inscribed on the left leg of the white pants.
The resemblance to vintage motorsports racing apparel is so remarkable that NASCAR’s Instagram account noticed.
“Absolutely, I do see it,” said Mandy Underwood, who has over 20-plus years of marketing experience within the motors industry. “Because if that was one single suit, that would make a great firesuit, for sure.”
Underwood, the manager of branding and licensing for Toyota Racing, is one of the people who would know the most about the aesthetics of designing firesuits and the fashion industry. When Toyota (and its business associates) directly supports a driver or team, Underwood is the one assigned by Toyota to design the firesuits, paint jobs, and other marketing collateral.
As she looked over photos of what Team USA will be wearing during the closing ceremony, Underwood was impressed by the incorporation of current hot trends within the fashion industry, pieces like a bomber jacket and patches that present a nostalgic look.
According to her, the sport-specific patch on the bottom right of each athlete’s jacket is a lovely little detail that helps them stand out from the crowd.
“Patches are a huge trend right now,” Underwood said. “I’ve got three, like, Air Force bomber jackets in my closet now that have retro patches all over. That’s a big trend right now. So I think this falls right in line with what’s on trend right now in fashion. And I definitely see it leaning into that NASCAR look and feel with all these different patches.”
Underwood wants her firesuit designs to stand out right away, but not in a garish way that could be off-putting. Because white stands out more in a sea of firesuits, which frequently have a darker color as the base, she prefers to use brilliant white as the primary color and then add splashes of other colors. Toyota uses bright red lettering over the chest of its firesuits, which is why the suits are often white.
It is certain that spectators will take notice of the Team USA players’ clothes when they enter Stade de France on Sunday. It is therefore not unexpected that Underwood thinks highly of Team USA’s racing-inspired uniform; if she had been in charge of the project, the presentation would not have differed much from how Underwood would have created the ensemble.
Underwood did have one criticism of the ensemble worn for the closing ceremony: the cap. It seems like something a cyclist would wear. It does not seem right with the rest of the group.
“I actually just watched a documentary on Lance Armstrong this weekend, and the little bitty bill (on the hat) brings me back to (something that Lance would wear),” Underwood said. “But again, you look at how it’s branded and how it’s got the old school logos, and while the style is different, that may be just Ralph Lauren bringing in their own kind of look to a regular baseball cap.”
Underwood, however, says the complete ensemble is elegant and just what you would want for a wedding in a city where style is everything.
“Going into Paris, you want to be ahead of the game,” Underwood said. “You don’t want to be kind of doing what everybody else has done. I appreciate that they brought something that’s a little different than what we would probably normally see back here in the States.”
(Top photo of Team USA breakers Victor Montalvo, Sunny Choi, Jeffrey Louis and Logan Edra wearing the closing ceremony outfits: Joe Scarnici / Getty Images for USOPC)
