Drumroll, please…
Canadian clothing giant Lululemon has unveiled its Team Canada designs for the 2024 Olympics in Paris, giving Canadians a glimpse of what the country’s Olympians and Paralympians will be wearing at the opening and closing ceremonies.
Lululemon and the Canadian Olympic team unveiled the official uniforms Tuesday.
Team Canada will enter the stadium for the official kickoff to the Olympics in red bomber jackets and red shorts and pants, worn over red short-sleeved shirts and paired with Lululemon sneakers.
Look closely and you’ll notice the print on the tracksuits gives a fun nod to Canada’s history and biodiversity — the one-of-a-kind print celebrates the diversity of Canada and interprets the art, architecture and nature found throughout the country, including provincial flowers.
The brand also shared a number of other designs, which will be worn by the athletes during medal ceremonies and the closing ceremony of the Games.
Lululemon said its designs are “designed to support more bodies and more abilities,” and feature unique features like magnetic-close zippers, pull-on loops, sensory touch guides and braille love notes.
Seated athletes will find more comfort in two key adaptive designs, the Seated-Fit Carpenter Pant and the Seated-Fit Poncho, which allow better functionality when sitting.
The kit is also designed to wick sweat and features breathable mesh and convertible styles, to keep athletes comfortable in Paris’ changing weather.
If we’re being honest, this year’s kit looks somewhat subdued compared to team uniforms of days gone by.
Who can forget the time Team Canada showed up in bucket hats to the 2000 Games in Sydney, Australia?
Or how about the time they sported these wild shirts, over-size earrings and straw hats at the 1992 Olympic games in Barcelona. (Seriously, these shirts are the epitome of ’90s fashion…check out those shoulder pads!)
And nothing signals competition time like these sarfari-esque uniforms, complete with vests, straight skirts, oversized suits and shiny shoes, worn at the 1996 Centennial Atlantic Olympic Games.
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Keep scrolling to see other designs Team Canada has sported during the Olympic opening ceremonies in recent years.
2022
Location: Beijing, China
What the Canadian athletes wore:
Canada is known to be a pretty cold place for a large portion of the year, but it was agreed that Lululemon’s puffy vests layered atop puffy coats, accessorized with puffy scarves, thick mittens and puffy hats might have been a bit of overkill.
Let’s not forget, too, that the athletes were double-masked for the duration of the ceremony, ensuring that they were likely stewing in their own juices for the duration of the event.
Public reaction: Vancouver is Awesome had one of the funniest reactions to the getups, writing that the athletes looked “like Red Arctic Grimace escaped from McDonaldland during the opening ceremonies.”
2021
Location: Tokyo, Japan
What the Canadian athletes wore: While there were 370 athletes representing the Great White North in Tokyo — the largest Olympic team since 1984 — only a fraction of them marched in the opening ceremonies due to the pesky pandemic that gripped the world. And, you may remember, the Games were delayed by a year due to COVID-19, meaning the 2020 Summer Games actually took place in 2021.
Clad in white pants and red track jackets with “CANADA” emblazoned on one arm, the 2021 uniforms were, once again, designed by Hudson’s Bay. In an extra patriotic nod, the large maple leaf displayed prominently on the back of each jacket was made up of 13 lines, to represent the unity of Canada’s 10 provinces and three territories.
Public reaction: Many thought Team Canada’s uniforms were a bit subdued and casual, but given the scaled-back circumstances of holding the Olympic Games during a global pandemic, it was a fitting look.
2018
Location: Pyeongchang, South Korea
What the Canadian athletes wore: The 225 Canadian athletes marched in the opening ceremonies donning modern red and black parkas designed by Hudson’s Bay. The coats were an updated look of the iconic parkas produced by the Canadian brand, but this time the black stripe was moved up onto the chest, with “CANADA” emblazoned across the black chest band.
The team capped off the look with playful pom-pom toques and the ninth edition of the Bay’s iconic red Olympic Mittens.
Public reaction: While Team Canada’s parkas were a fresh take on an old classic, the red boots were seen as a bit of overkill and some thought the athletes should have stuck with more neutral-coloured footwear.
2016
Location: Rio, Brazil
What the Canadian athletes wore: Canada’s 314 athletes showed off their opening ceremony outfits, designed by Canadian design duo Dsquared2. The athletes’ red and white blazer-inspired jackets boasted (what else?) a maple leaf.
The uniforms were advertised as an “innovative mash-up of two diverse worlds: tailoring and sport.”
Public reaction: The Rio uniforms were one of the more unique designs Team Canada has sported in recent memory, but the design of the coats, which gave the impression of a long white shirt hanging out the bottom, came off as a little bit strange and ill-fitting.
2014
Location: Sochi, Russia
What the Canadian athletes wore: Representatives of Canada’s 220-athlete team looked undeniably sharp in traditional red and black Hudson’s Bay toggle coats, complimented by matching toques.
Canada’s female athletes wore black turtlenecks and V-neck sweaters, while the men sported tailored white dress shirts, wool cardigans and red and white striped ties.
Public reaction: Team Canada’s Sochi uniforms were regarded as Great White North fashion at its finest — classic colours, classic fit and a strong patriotic design.
2012
Location: London, England
What the Canadian athletes wore: Team Canada took inspiration from the Montreal Olympics in 1972, and walked the London Opening Ceremony in bright red jackets emblazoned with “CANADA” across the chest and tailored khaki pants.
Public reaction: While the whole look was pretty basic, the khaki pants struck a chord as a classic (albeit, a tad boring) addition to the uniform.
2010
Location: Vancouver
What the Canadian athletes wore: Back on Canadian soil for the first time in ages, Team Canada turned out in a classic mix of fashion, featuring traditional Hudson’s Bay deep red parkas, both buffalo-checked and white scarves and the iconic pom-pom toques and red mittens that were so popular at the time.
Public reaction: Many thought Team Canada’s opening kit was complimentary to the traditional Red Serge of the RCMP, who kicked off the ceremony by carrying the Canadian flag into the stadium. To be fair, Canada could do no wrong at these games and patriotic pride was sure to win out over any sartorial criticism.
2008
Location: Beijing, China
What the Canadian athletes wore: One of the most controversial walks at an Olympic opening ceremony came in 2008, when Team Canada strutted into the arena clad in Hudson’s Bay designs that were manufactured in China.
The lightweight, organic fabric featured a fusion of Canadian and Chinese symbols and prints, including the Chinese elements of astrology — fire, wood, water, earth and metal. Bookending the look were white pants and skirts on the bottom and white ball caps.
Public reaction: In an interview with the Toronto Star in 2008, Suzanne Timmins, fashion director of Hudson’s Bay Company, jokingly said she could “see Kanye West in [these] outfit[s].”
