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Obviously, Skateboarding Has the Coolest Uniforms at the Olympics
BY EILEEN CARTTER, July 27 2021
After years of lobbying, skateboarding finally made its debut as an Olympic sport at this year’s games in Tokyo. Unsurprisingly, the Olympic skateboarding uniforms totally rip. Even though Nike released its designs for Teams USA, Japan, France, and Brazil approximately one million years ago in early 2020, the collection of boldly printed jerseys (designed in collaboration with Dutch artist Piet Parra), cargo pants, and short-sleeve collared shirts still holds up. And while in many ways the Olympics are all about uniformity and synchronicity, true to skateboarding’s whole ethos, individualism has reigned supreme in the street competitions so far.
Each athlete’s look has been a little bit different, and the mostly gender-neutral skate uniforms allow for lots of customization: a tucked-in tee here, a backwards cap there, and seemingly total freedom over footwear and boards (which turns into, of course, a chance to give visibility to some sponsors). Even the Olympics’ official website is making note of skateboarding’s show-stealing threads.
While many athletic uniforms are form-fitting in a way that most everyday wear is not, skateboarding’s very cool, loose-fitting silhouettes track with the way lots of stylish folks want to dress now. Over the weekend, when Japan took home the gold in both women’s and men’s street skating, its two reigning champions—13-year-old Momiji Nishiya and 22-year-old Yuto Horigome—both rocked their country’s jerseys with straight-leg pants and low-top kicks. On Team USA, GQ favorite Alexis Sablone held it down for her fourth-place finish in a covetable pair of navy Nike trousers and a pair of all-black Jack Purcell mids she designed for Converse. Brazil’s competitors also had a solid sartorial showing, particularly 13-year-old women’s silver medalist (and one-time viral Vine star) Rayssa Leal in some high-waisted cargos and a snap-buckle belt, and Giovanni Vianna’s sun-yellow button-up, baggy khakis, and classic black Vans. For the most part, the competitors all looked like they’d just stepped out of a regular neighborhood skatepark, which is a good thing.
But so far, the fan favorite for Biggest Olympic Fit has been the all-white kits worn by both Japan’s Aori Nishimura in the women’s street competition and France’s Vincent Milou in the men’s. Suitable for Tokyo’s currently scorching weather—or maybe a milk delivery in 1953—the crisp look is likely to inspire many a monochromatic summer fit to come. Get ready to add some snap-button cook’s shirts and loose white pants to your want list.
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