A look at the Beijing Winter Olympics uniforms: from Ralph Lauren to Skims

Ahead of the games, which start on February 4, teams from around the world are offering a look at their specially-designed outfits

Bobsledder Aja Evans models the Team USA Beijing winter Olympics closing ceremony uniforms designed by Ralph Lauren. AP

With the start of the Beijing Winter Olympics only weeks away, many national teams from around the world are offering a first look at the uniforms they will be wearing as they represent their countries.

Many teams have partnered with internationally recognised brands to design outfits for the opening and closing ceremonies of the games, as well as for podium moments and travelling.

Here is a closer look at some of the uniforms revealed so far:

Team USA

Team USA’s official outfitter is Ralph Lauren, which last week revealed what athletes will be wearing for the opening ceremony. The specially created jackets feature hidden warming technology, along with a handy front pouch and a cinch waist on the anoraks, which come in navy and white.

The jackets include a smart, honeycomb-like fabric layer that expands or contracts in response to temperature changes — all without the use of a battery or wired technology.

Women athletes will parade at the start of the games on February 4 wearing red boots and red fleece trousers with predominantly navy jackets. The men’s looks are mostly white. Both will be wearing navy knit beanies and both have the large bonus pouch on the front of their jackets to go with roomy side pockets and graphic touches on sleeves.

Ralph Lauren went with navy for the gloves and all athletes will be provided with masks to help guard against Covid-19. Team USA’s paralympians will receive the same gear.

The team’s closing ceremony looks in a buffalo plaid design were unveiled in October.

Kim Kardashian's shapewear company Skims is also partnering with Team USA for the coming Olympics.

Each female athlete representing Team USA will receive the limited-edition loungewear, underwear and sleepwear collection.

The collection “was designed with these inspiring women in mind”, Kardashian said.

Podium outfits for Team USA have been designed by Nike. Athletes will wear light-blue hooded jackets with tracksuit bottoms in a darker blue. The outfits feature a Paralympic or Olympic patch on the left chest of the jacket, along with the Nike Swoosh, and “USA” printed on the back alongside the US flag. The garments feature Nike’s FlyEase technology to help athletes through the cold weather, as well as an oversized zip and magnetic closures for easier accessibility.

UK

Team GB will wear outfits by Ben Sherman for the opening and closing ceremonies of the games. The British brand, which is working with the Olympics team for the second time, unveiled the outfits in December. Designed around a deconstructed Union Jack flag, the opening ceremony outfits feature navy mini-dogtooth print trousers and a quilted navy peacoat with a reflective “Great Britain” logo on the back. The outfit includes a matching bobble-hat and scarf set, with a Chelsea boots to finish the look.

For the closing ceremony, the uniform features a blue crew neck checked sweater, dogtooth print trousers and a logo bobble-hat. The limited-edition knits feature the official Team GB badge and the Olympic rings on the chest.

To compete, athletes will wear kits designed by Adidas. In block colours of red, white and blue – the hues of the Union Jack flag – the outfits have been created in conjunction with Parley for the Oceans, the environmental group dedicated to repurposing ocean plastic.

The kit includes leggings, a lightweight jacket and a heavier puffer jacket, and the pieces are engineered to offer enhanced performance while being more environmentally aware. The Terrex Myshelter PrimaLoft Parley Jacket, for example, is filled with synthetic insulation that is 100 per cent recycled, including 40 per cent that has been reclaimed from coastal waters and spun into technical fabric by PrimaLoft.

For footwear, the women athletes will also wear the newly designed Ultraboost 22 trainers specially engineered by adidas.

Russia

The Russian team will be decked out in a diverse range of outfits that include a onesie, bum bags, full-faced ski masks, and a line of T-shirts and hoodies.

Zasport, the outfitter of the Russian Olympic team since 2017, has unveiled the red, white, blue and grey uniforms that bear the logo of the Russian Olympic Committee – three flames in the colours of the national flag with the Olympic rings below them – instead of the country's flag.

Russian athletes are barred from competing at major international events, including the Olympics, under their flag and with their anthem until December 2022.

The sanctions, initially imposed by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) but later halved to two years on appeal, were designed to punish Moscow for providing doctored laboratory data to international anti-doping authorities that could have helped identify drug cheats.

Australia

Skiers Brodie Summers, Britt Cox, Cooper Woods, Danielle Scott, Jakara Anthony and Matt Graham unveiled Australia’s uniforms earlier this month in Alpe d’Huez. Designed by Sportscraft, which has been the official supplier of the formal uniform for the Australian Olympic Team since 1996, the formal outfits feature dark green blazer-like wool-blend peacoat with buttons emblazoned with the Australian Olympic crest, along with the names of all 265 Australian Winter Olympians inscribed on the inside lining.

The jackets are accompanied by contemporary knitwear, including a grey roll-neck jumper and colour-blocked scarf. Athletes will also wear boots made by Australian footwear brand Volley.