lululemon/Scott Ramsay
Paris is known as the City of Lights and Team Canada athletes are sure to shine at the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games — thanks not only to their athletic performance, but also thanks to their Team Canada x lululemon athlete kit.
This is the second Team Canada kit designed by lululemon since becoming the Official Outfitter of the Canadian Olympic and Paralympic Teams. The Beijing 2022 kits were hugely popular with Canadian athletes (and coveted by competitors from many other nations within the athletes’ village). But now it’s time to see what lululemon’s vision is for the summer edition of the Games.
lululemon worked with 19 Olympic and Paralympic athletes across 14 different sports to understand their needs during the Games. From the athletes’ perspective, adaptability, thermal comfort, fit, function, and national pride were key priorities.
Let’s check out how lululemon delivered on those elements:
The Opening Ceremony outfit introduces Team Canada’s look and feel to the world. As such, lululemon created a one-of-a-kind print which interprets the art, architecture, and nature found throughout Canada. Each icon on the print is a small reminder of home, helping athletes to celebrate their country.
The Paris 2024 Olympic Opening Ceremony will take place outdoors, with athletes floating down the River Seine on boats. As such, lululemon wanted to ensure that athletes had options to respond to weather conditions, including the Packable Rain Poncho, which fits into a kangaroo pocket and can convert to a backpack.
“Paris will be my fourth Olympics, and I have not seen a kit quite like this.”–Damian Warner
The Vented Jacquard Bomber Jacket features built-in interior backpack straps should athletes want to de-layer, but still keep their hands free for waving to the crowd.
The jacket is worn over the SenseKnit™ Short-Sleeve Shirt which is sweat-wicking and quick-drying, and treated with No-Stink Zinc™. There are two options for bottoms, either the Carpenter Pant, or Woven Air Short.
We all want to see Canadian athletes step up on the podium. The podium kit ensures that they’ll do it in style.
No medal moment is the same and the podium kit recognizes this through its commitment to personalization. Athletes have the option to layer up or down depending on their weather, temperature, or excitement-level needs, with a convertible jacket and pants set.
“We’re here to win, and look cool doing it.”–Philip Kim (“Phil Wizard”)
The Convertible Jacket can zip off to short sleeves or side zippers can be opened for extra ventilation. The Convertible Pant can zip off to shorts, leaving athletes with a variety of ways to customize the look to their personal needs.
The tracksuit’s all-over red and white graphic design featuring a modern take on the maple leaf is distinctly Canadian and fashion-forward, as befits the podium in Paris.
Connection is a vital part of the Olympic Games. One of the ways that all of Canada will connect with Team Canada Olympians during Paris 2024 is through the Games’ robust media presence. As such, Team Canada athletes need a kit that helps them look and feel their best while sharing their stories and experiences post-competition.
“The Team Canada kit lives up to all my expectations. It looks chic and makes me feel proud to represent Canada. I also love how breathable so many pieces are, which will be a game changer on hot days and during high pressure moments.”–Leylah Fernandez
The media kit fittingly introduces a softer, calmer feel than previous outfits, with a print that takes inspiration from how Canada’s red and white colours show up in nature. The fit’s colour palette includes names like “Maple Breeze Beech White,” and “Mojave Tan.”
The print appears on the Translucent Hooded Jacket, made of mesh designed for maximum breathability. Underneath will be a sweat-wicking, quick-drying tee paired with WovenAir Shorts.
When the Games come to a close, it’s time for athletes to celebrate the joy of their accomplishments, the weight of the work they’ve put in, and the hope for what’s next–and to do it all together as a team.
“The Closing Ceremony look is probably my favourite because of what it represents. It’s a time to celebrate, throw your hands up, and just have a good time.”–Melissa Humana-Paredes
Team Canada will wave goodbye to the City of Light in a kit created in collaboration with Whistler-based artist Mason Mashon of Saddle Cree Nation that features a unique illumination print inspired by the northern lights.
As they move in groups through the Closing Ceremony in their matching Button-Down Shirts and Swift Shorts, Team Canada athletes will look like the night’s sky.
At the heart of the Team Canada Collection is the Future Legacy giveback program. Ten percent of sales from Future Legacy products help Canadian athletes access the resources, equipment, and funding they need to experience the power of sport—from dreams, to podium, and beyond.
“When I see Canadians wearing the Future Legacy collection, it gives me that extra sense of purpose that it’s a big team effort, that it is a collective effort, and that they’re just as much a part of this journey.”—Melissa Humana-Paredes
For Paris 2024, the Future Legacy program has expanded with all-new Future Legacy styles, including the Team Canada Future Legacy Mini Belt Bag, Team Canada Future Legacy Ball Cap, and Team Canada Future Legacy Scarf. There’s an option for every Team Canada fan.
The Team Canada x lululemon athlete kit is focused on feel–but not just how fabric feels against skin, or how fluid a garment is in motion, though those are of course important elements, but also how athletes will feel while wearing the kit.
“It makes me feel like an athlete”–Summer McIntosh
The Olympic and Paralympic Games are sure to bring forth every emotion. But there’s perhaps no higher praise for a kit than the words of Olympic swimmer Summer McIntosh– “it makes me feel like an athlete.”
