Olympic Gold
The summer games in Paris reflect an evolution in performance apparel, accessories, and footwear.
By Sophia Strawser
The 2024 Paris Games mark 128 years of modern Olympics and over the last century — give or take a couple of decades — the world has witnessed a monumental evolution in performance apparel, accessories and gear. It’s difficult to imagine athletes competing in heavy, bulky garments and non-breathable fabrics, or wearing shoes without support or grip, especially in light of what is worn today. Everything an Olympic competitor puts on their body enhances their performance: from fabrics that act like a second skin to sunglasses that enhance the terrain and clear a path to the gold. What an athlete wears can shave fractions of a second off their time, improve their flexibility, regulate their body temperature, and often make the difference between standing on the podium and not.
Last fall, I had the pleasure of visiting the official Olympic Museum in Lausanne, Switzerland, where I learned more about the history of the games dating back to the Roman Empire. I was also able to view the museum’s expansive collection of archival Olympic apparel from countries all over the world. Here, a look at the fashion and Olympic milestones of the 1900’s to present day
.HISTORICAL HIGHLIGHTS
1920 - 1940
Innovations in garment design, fabric technology, and performance footwear marked significant changes to what athletes wore during this time period. In 1921, French designer Jean Patau’s knee-length skirt, collarless blouse, and sleeveless cardigan gave tennis player Suzanne Lenglen greater mobility and set a new standard for women’s sports apparel. Just a few years later — as the first-ever Winter Olympic Games landed in Chamonix, France — Coco Chanel was experimenting with jersey fabrics and new, daring swimsuits. These advancements found their way into the performance wardrobes of Olympic athletes and, before long the closets of everyday sports enthusiasts.
What some athletes wore on their feet shifted significantly in 1928 with the introduction of Dassler shoes. The Dassler brothers were behind the launch of Puma and Adidas, two iconic brands in the athletic footwear market.
And while spikes were nothing new in sports (soccer players have been wearing a version of cleats since the 1500s), the Dasslers’ innovative designs made headlines. In 1936, Jesse Owens won four gold medals at the Olympic Games in Berlin wearing Dassler spikes. Seven gold and five bronze medals soon followed for other world class athletes, signifying the brothers’ international breakthrough.
Read the whole article in the Holiday Gift Guide issue of Ac Magazine HERE.