Ralph Lauren on Tuesday unveiled its line of Winter Games gear that American athletes will be wearing in Sochi, Russia, this February.
And more importantly, the famed fashion house promised that all the threads would be sewn right here in the good old USA, and not by low-wage laborers in China.
American athletes marched into the 2012 Summer Games in London, sporting Lauren’s uniforms assembled in China.
The not-so-made-in-the-USA revelations sparked national outrage. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid famously called for all the Chinese-made clothes to be collected and burned.
This time, Ralph Lauren made sure American hands would be pulling all the needles and threads, on homegrown wool and cotton.
“We have worked incredibly hard as a company to go across America to find the best partners to help us produce the Olympic uniforms at the highest quality for the best athletes in the world,” said David Lauren, the company’s executive vice president of advertising, marketing and corporate communications.
Producers in New York’s Garment District were among the 40 American vendors contracted for the project. Others included ranchers in the rural West and yarn spinners from Pennsylvania.
Gold-medal figure skater Evan Lysacek said Olympic athletes are happy their duds are being made by American hands.
“What I hear from the athletes on this topic is that we go out in the Olympic Games and in every competition, we represent the United States of America. I might not know every citizen, but I represent them,” he said.
“The more people who are tied into the Olympic story, the closer to home each story hits.”
The clothes — for opening ceremonies, day-to-day wear in the Olympic Village and at closing ceremonies — were unveiled Tuesday on NBC’s “Today” show.
“After we found out it was for the Olympics, we were very proud to make the garment in the United States,” said Ilona Wang, marketing director of California-based manufacturer Andari Fashions, one of the Olympic contractors.
The official USA uniforms include a navy-colored peacoat with a red stripe.
American athletes will also wear a ski sweater with a reindeer motif and a hand-sewn American flag, and a tasseled chunky-knit hat.
Lysacek, a 2006 and 2010 veteran, said he still get a thrill donning Olympic duds.
“As an athlete, the clothing means even more than you’d think. The training, the sacrifices, the lifestyle, which is not glamorous and can be grueling and trying at times, all seem to come together in the moment when you realize you are part of the Olympic team,” he said.
“The moment you put on those first pieces of the American team clothes, you feel like it’s real.”