Curling gets its time in the spotlight once every four years during the Winter Olympics. Next month in Beijing, the USA Curling National Team will be sporting uniforms made by Columbia Sportswear.
The Portland, Ore.-based outdoor brand worked closely with all members of the team since unveiling its multiyear sponsorship last fall and the results are jackets, jerseys, pants and accessories specifically developed for the athletes on the 2022 Olympic and Paralympic teams.
Technical elements include four-way stretch fabrics to optimize mobility, abrasion-resistant materials and the brand’s proprietary Omni-Wick technology for accelerated moisture evaporation. Between matches, the team will sport jackets insulated with Omni-Heat Infinity, Columbia’s gold metallic technology.
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In addition to the high-tech features, the uniforms for the men’s, women’s, mixed doubles and wheelchair national teams will include graphics created to draw attention to the sport including four nonlinear stripes across the chest to represent the four team members competing on the ice, and “curling” swoops intended to represent the motion and movement of the stone as it slides down the ice. Stars and stripes on the chest were included to honor each state represented at the Olympics, and the pebbled pattern of the red, white and blue jerseys is supposed to replicate the textured ice.
“Columbia’s ongoing partnership with USA Curling has been an exceptional experience and has inspired our designers to push our technologies and designs into exciting new directions,” said Columbia president Joe Boyle. “We are proud of this collaboration and wish the entire team success as they compete on the global stage for gold.”
In the 2018 Winter Olympics, the USA Curling team won its first gold medal.
This story was reported by WWD and originally appeared on WWD.com.
