Didn't you hear? Flags are so 2012. Rio 2016 is all about unique heraldic designs. This one was commissioned by German sports brand Adidas as a "unifying symbol" and developed by the College of Arms in order to provide "key iconography across the Olympics and Paralympics range".
Aspects of it appear in various forms, having been cropped by a visual artist, splashed across the athletes' red, white and blue crop tops (£23, available for pre-order), cycling jerseys (£60) and crew neck sweaters (£60). The effect is less abstract than the 2012 kit, which took a deconstructed Union Jack as its theme, and more obvious: giant Gs and Bs will make it very clear which nation is mounting the podium (fingers crossed) come August, not to mention which nation has its finger on the fashion pulse. The lettering combined with the heraldic imagery had a distinct "Renaissance Varsity" edge that wouldn't have looked amiss on a Gucci catwalk.
The new coat of arms is a hotch potch of British symbolism: three lions hold three fiery Olympic batons; our nations' flowers (leek, rose, flax, thistle) appear in the centre shield; and a crown composed of medals sits up top ("symbolising continuity, teamwork and shared responsibility"). At the bottom, Latin script reads: "Conjoined in one". As a team of athletes including Jessica Ennis-Hill, Tom Daly and the Brownlee brothers trooped out to smile on cue in front of it on Wednesday morning, one was struck by the sheer power of Brand GB. If team Remain had commissioned something as openly nostalgic we might not be facing a Brexit in June.
The coat of arms idea was Stella McCartney's. It was on display as she took to the stage, shoulder-robing a tomato-red coat and forgoing Adidas Boost trainers for killer stilettoes. Longtime Adidas collaborator and creator of the London 2012 flag-inspired kit, she looked far more confident than the designer who had nervously unveiled her 2012 designs in a paisley jumpsuit.
"I really fought for the coat of arms," said McCartney, post-reveal. "I had to go through so many governing bodies, BOA, BPA, to get approval - and I'm not used to that. It's a bit like being back in school. But I wanted to gift the nation."
Four years might have made her more gung-ho, but it didn't speed up the design process, which has been ongoing for the last two years. "It entailed a lot more work," she admitted. "The obvious thing is to work with the Union Flag. But what I wanted to do this time was to have imagery and icons within the treatment that felt individualised. So every single piece of the kit is different - different pieces of the design have been pulled out and blown up - and that meant that we had to style it more, create outfits from different pieces." She pauses. "Whenever I talk to the athletes, they say they want to feel like a team. I wanted them to feel like one."
Suggestions that fashion's current athletic mood might have had some bearing on her designs are dismissed immediately. "It's not a fashion conversation at all, and that's why I love it," McCartney said, firmly. "It's nothing to do with fashion. This is purely about some of the greatest athletes walking on this planet right now, and what they need to do to maximise their potential and their training and their commitment."
Adidas's technological prowess helps, too: fabrics are around 10 per cent lighter than those worn in 2012, and patented 'Climachill' technology, which includes titanium fibres woven into yarns to draw heat away from the body, as well as aluminium cooling dots interspersed with more breathable yarns, will help combat the Rio heat. McCartney's input is often more prosaic, but just as valuable. "I'll add zips to pockets, collars, things that the athletes often don't consider. I tap into that. Creatively I want to give them the very best that I can. I'm trying to elevate everything."
McCartney's not booked her flights to Rio yet - "we'll see" - but paid gushing tribute to London 2012. "On every level it was one of the most extraordinary moments to be part of. I don't think anyone knew what it was going to be like. We're a cynical nation, but it was so incredible. I'm so proud of us."
Back in the media pen eating muesli with Ennis-Hill and the Brownlees, it was clear the team-building objective has been fulfilled already. As I left, one Brownlee was sizing up the female version of his tracksuit top, and a cyclist was teaching another how to Snapchat her new stash.
Aspects of it appear in various forms, having been cropped by a visual artist, splashed across the athletes' red, white and blue crop tops (£23, available for pre-order), cycling jerseys (£60) and crew neck sweaters (£60). The effect is less abstract than the 2012 kit, which took a deconstructed Union Jack as its theme, and more obvious: giant Gs and Bs will make it very clear which nation is mounting the podium (fingers crossed) come August, not to mention which nation has its finger on the fashion pulse. The lettering combined with the heraldic imagery had a distinct "Renaissance Varsity" edge that wouldn't have looked amiss on a Gucci catwalk.
The new coat of arms is a hotch potch of British symbolism: three lions hold three fiery Olympic batons; our nations' flowers (leek, rose, flax, thistle) appear in the centre shield; and a crown composed of medals sits up top ("symbolising continuity, teamwork and shared responsibility"). At the bottom, Latin script reads: "Conjoined in one". As a team of athletes including Jessica Ennis-Hill, Tom Daly and the Brownlee brothers trooped out to smile on cue in front of it on Wednesday morning, one was struck by the sheer power of Brand GB. If team Remain had commissioned something as openly nostalgic we might not be facing a Brexit in June.
The coat of arms idea was Stella McCartney's. It was on display as she took to the stage, shoulder-robing a tomato-red coat and forgoing Adidas Boost trainers for killer stilettoes. Longtime Adidas collaborator and creator of the London 2012 flag-inspired kit, she looked far more confident than the designer who had nervously unveiled her 2012 designs in a paisley jumpsuit.
"I really fought for the coat of arms," said McCartney, post-reveal. "I had to go through so many governing bodies, BOA, BPA, to get approval - and I'm not used to that. It's a bit like being back in school. But I wanted to gift the nation."
Four years might have made her more gung-ho, but it didn't speed up the design process, which has been ongoing for the last two years. "It entailed a lot more work," she admitted. "The obvious thing is to work with the Union Flag. But what I wanted to do this time was to have imagery and icons within the treatment that felt individualised. So every single piece of the kit is different - different pieces of the design have been pulled out and blown up - and that meant that we had to style it more, create outfits from different pieces." She pauses. "Whenever I talk to the athletes, they say they want to feel like a team. I wanted them to feel like one."
Suggestions that fashion's current athletic mood might have had some bearing on her designs are dismissed immediately. "It's not a fashion conversation at all, and that's why I love it," McCartney said, firmly. "It's nothing to do with fashion. This is purely about some of the greatest athletes walking on this planet right now, and what they need to do to maximise their potential and their training and their commitment."
Adidas's technological prowess helps, too: fabrics are around 10 per cent lighter than those worn in 2012, and patented 'Climachill' technology, which includes titanium fibres woven into yarns to draw heat away from the body, as well as aluminium cooling dots interspersed with more breathable yarns, will help combat the Rio heat. McCartney's input is often more prosaic, but just as valuable. "I'll add zips to pockets, collars, things that the athletes often don't consider. I tap into that. Creatively I want to give them the very best that I can. I'm trying to elevate everything."
McCartney's not booked her flights to Rio yet - "we'll see" - but paid gushing tribute to London 2012. "On every level it was one of the most extraordinary moments to be part of. I don't think anyone knew what it was going to be like. We're a cynical nation, but it was so incredible. I'm so proud of us."
Back in the media pen eating muesli with Ennis-Hill and the Brownlees, it was clear the team-building objective has been fulfilled already. As I left, one Brownlee was sizing up the female version of his tracksuit top, and a cyclist was teaching another how to Snapchat her new stash.
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