Winter Games in Milan will set a high bar for Olympic fashion

Every Olympic host city or region has a specific type of culture that is woven into the Olympic Games. There are elements of food, language and art that are so cherished and beloved that they are proudly showcased for the world to see. 

Milano Cortina is going to host the Olympics in February. Italy is globally known for its stellar cuisine, but Milan is one of the greatest theatres of fashion in the world. The famous leather goods, the beautifully designed pieces of ready-to-wear or haute couture are not only on runways but also in the streets and in the Olympic village. Fashion will be very present at these Games and not so much as a competition or mascot, but a profound participant. 

The Winter Olympics are not always considered the swaggiest of the swag or the drippiest of the drip on the sports scene. The Summer Olympics have fun fabrics, agreeable weather (most of the time) and sports where the body is showcased as part of the sport. Muscles visibly pulsing and covered slightly for us to be able to see every reach, every spike, every turn of the body. 

Whereas the winter sports have athletes covered and protected from the elements, and from injury at high speeds on ice. But creativity and imagination drives innovation and winter sports are that example.

National federations like to offer patterns, fabrics and colours that are not only technically protective and functional, but that also offer some insight into the country that they are representing. 

Will countries feel pressure to design and create uniforms and kits that were elevated because the Olympics are in one of the world’s fashion capitals? Italy’s kits, designed by legendary fashion mogul Giorgio Armani, are simple and sleek with white as a primary colour symbolizing “harmony and the snow-capped peaks.” This is particularly meaningful because Armani died in September at the age of 91. 

Canada, while historically magnificent in winter sports, does not have the same reputation as Italy for being fashion leaders — very few countries do. But when the Canadian kits were revealed by Lululemon, the response was positive. 

Katherine Singh is a fashion and culture writer in Toronto. She said Team Canada’s looks encapsulate the country’s stunning topography and also the intentionality behind their creation. 

“It really looks like it leans into the kind of athleisure street style, almost a little bit of an oversized look, which is stylish,” she said. “[1988] was in Calgary, and it speaks to a very specific type of experience and esthetic and way of life, in a way. And so that's very cool, but this feels much more universal, also approachable ... more diverse, and it fits everyone.”

I remember Elizabeth Manley winning the silver medal in 1988. I was 11 years old, bursting with pride and desperately wanted a white cowboy hat with fringe. For a little brown girl in Halifax, a sport that I didn’t play connected me to fashion that was arguably uncommon to my province. 

Canadian sports fans are investing and purchasing all kinds of sports merchandise and that includes winterwear or sport-specific wear. 

Phylicia George is a retired dual-season Olympian and now a CBC Olympics contributor. She  will be on the ground in Milano-Cortina and I asked her about fashion and sport and how they are connected for the athletes.

“Fashion is a form of self-expression,” she said vai text. “It's a form of joy and through all my years of competing, I’ve noticed that greatness requires all of you. It requires you to bring every aspect of yourself to the table … It gives these athletes more bandwidth to move and express in that kind of way, and it will be celebrated.”

There is no doubt that Milan will appreciate fashion and the attempts at it. But part of the beauty of the many nations competing is that their outfits reflect their cultures and countries. Milan will show up as Milan does and even the outfits for the medal presenters are incredibly stylish and sophisticated.