Sports & Fashion Shine at 2026 Winter Olympics
Baylor fashion expert explains why the race for Best Dressed may be the most interesting competition of all
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As the world eagerly anticipates the upcoming Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, the fashion scene is buzzing with excitement over the latest trends set to make a statement to the world.
From the team uniforms in the opening ceremonies to the competitive athletic wear, Lorynn Divita, Ph.D., associate professor of apparel design and merchandising at Baylor University, said the Olympics – both winter and summer – serve as a global stage for the merging of contemporary fashion designs and high-performance athletic requirements.
“Olympic fashion has become more, well, fashionable in recent years,” Divita said. “If we look back at opening ceremonies from 50 years ago, the athletes looked like they were wearing uniforms similar to flight attendants, or they would be wearing uniforms that had a costume-like appearance. Today, in addition to being comfortable, in many cases the uniforms are indistinguishable from street fashion.”
Fashion Olympics
Divita said viewers should expect to see uniforms from well-known designers and fashion brands who have the unique opportunity to put their brand in front of an international audience and show off their skills to people who are not typically fashion consumers. Ralph Lauren, Lululemon and Giorgio Armani are among the well-known fashion brands who will be in the spotlight designing the opening ceremony uniforms for their countries’ teams.
“It's a fun challenge for designers who have to merge functionality with aesthetics and patriotic symbolism,” Divita said. “Clearly they get a great deal out of it, as the list of well-known fashion designers at the parade of nations rivals any fashion week.”
Three teams to watch
- Ralph Lauren returns to design the opening ceremony team uniforms for Team USA: a white cable knit sweater with the classic Ralph Lauren Polo teddy bear dressed in Team USA regalia. Expect to see Team USA athletes also dressed in J. Crew, Skims, Nike and Kappa, Divita said.
- Team Italia celebrates their country as well as Milan’s designer legacy with uniforms from the legendary Italian fashion house, Emporio Armani. This will be particularly poignant uniform as Gorgia Armani died in September 2025.
- But just like at the Paris Summer Olympics, Team Mongolia is the team to watch in the Parade of Nations. Divita said the team is again predicted to win fashion gold with uniforms inspired by the traditional dress and designed by the Mongolian fashion house Goyol Cashmere.
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