Team USA

Ralph Lauren Unveils Team USA Closing Ceremony Look

Every piece was made in the U.S.

NBCUniversal Media, LLC

Jamie Anderson, Aja Evans, and Ryan Cochran-Siegle, who are sponsored by Ralph Lauren, unveil the company’s new outfits for the 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

With a buffalo plaid design and a nod to sustainability, Ralph Lauren on Thursday unveiled navy blue uniforms for Team USA to wear during the closing ceremonies of the winter Olympics and Paralympics in Beijing.

Just six months after the summer games closed in Tokyo, winter athletes are gearing up for China in February. After competition ends, they'll be parading in a hooded puffer jacket with the red-and-blue plaid front and back. It's made of recycled polyester and recycled down.

A white fleece pant for the men and fleece-lined leggings in navy for the women, along with gloves and sturdy boots, were also made with recycled polyester. The athletes will wear a turtleneck sweater in the same blue adorned with the American flag and the Olympic rings in white.

The sweater is made of responsibly sourced U.S. wool, the company said. That effort goes in hand with a Ralph Lauren promise to use only recycled wool or U.S. wool certified to meet the Responsible Wool Standard by 2025.

“We are highly invested in scaling sustainability solutions that have the potential to significantly reduce our and the wider industry’s impact,” chief branding and innovation officer David Lauren said in a statement.

In all, every piece was made in the U.S. Ralph Lauren has been an official outfitter of Team USA since 2008. The closing ceremony uniforms were unveiled 100 days out from the start of the Beijing Games.

The gear for fans evoking the Beijing designs went on sale Thursday at Ralphlauren.com, from red plaid duffels and backpacks to white puffer jackets in a bold Olympic ring print. There are tracksuits in the same graphic print and a range of hats, warmup gear and the same tie ankle boots in red or white that will be on the feet of Team USA.

Ralph Lauren
The Team USA Closing Ceremony Parade uniform includes a buffalo plaid hooded puffer jacket featuring recycled polyester and recycled down; a fleece pant (men’s) and fleece legging (women’s), gloves and boot made with recycled polyester; and an intarsia turtleneck sweater and a hat made from Responsible Wool Standard (RWS) certified U.S. grown wool.

A portion of proceeds from consumer sales of the collection supports the U.S. teams. More will go on sale pegged to the design of opening ceremony uniforms, to be rolled out after the new year.

Two-time gold medalist Jamie Anderson, a snowboarder who is among Ralph Lauren's athlete ambassadors, was thrilled with the parade look as she prepares for an attempted three-peat. She also has a silver medal.

“I was just saying how cozy this jacket is,” the 31-year-old told The Associated Press at Ralph Lauren's Madison Avenue showroom. “It just feels really good. Like, quality. You know they're going to last forever, which is awesome.”

The jacket's inside pocket was a hit.

Anderson spent her pandemic year cross-training in Whistler, Canada — her base. The down time helped her dig into surfing, mountain biking and skateboarding.

“Beijing doesn’t have the best snow in the world, unfortunately, but you kind of work with what you have and do your best,” she said. “Hopefully, the snow gods will come through.”

For slopestyle, she'll head to runs she can't wait to try at the Genting Resort Secret Garden in the mountain town of Zhangjiakou City.

Antwerp, Belgium: Picture shows a group of US Olympic Athletes posing together in their uniforms on Nov. 5, 1920.
Aileen Riggin, Gertrude Ederle, and Helen Wainright stand in their Olympic team uniforms and hold American flags, after returning from the 1920 Olympics in Antwerp, Belgium.
American skater Gretchen Merrill on the ice during her performance in the Ladies Figure Skating contest at the Olympic Games in St. Moritz, Switzerland, Feb. 6, 1948. Merril finished the event in 8th place.
Team portrait of the 1920 US Olympic ice hockey team, undated.
Portrait of American athlete Babe Didrikson Zaharias in 1932 holding a javelin and wearing her Olympic uniform in Los Angeles, California. Babe set a new world record with her javelin throw at the event.
American speed skater Irving Jaffee holds his gold medal after winning the men’s 10,000-meter speed skating event at the 1932 Winter Olympic Games, Lake Placid, New York, on Feb. 9, 1932.
Here are the official uniforms that will be worn by the men and women of the U.S. Olympic teams when the 1948 Olympiad opens in England.
Portrait of the US Olympic speed skating team on an outdoor rink shortly after arriving in St. Moritz for the 1948 Winter Olympic Games, St. Moritz, Switzerland, January 1948.
This is a July 29, 1948, file photo of Ralph Craig, center, who won the 100- and 200-meter dashes in the 1912 Olympic games in Stockholm and was a member of the U.S. Olympic Yachting team in the 1948 games, carrying the American flag in the parade of the nations at the opening of the Olympic games in London’s Wembley Stadium.
Eleanor McCoy is dwarfed by athletes (from left) Howard William, Clyde Lovelette, both of Peoria, Illinois; Clyde Dean Kelly of Lawrence, Kansas, and Bob Kurland of Bartsville, Oklahoma, as she checks to make certain their Olympic jackets fit in 1952.
The ‘Tennessee Tiger Belles’, the American athletic team who collected three gold medals in the 1960 Olympic Games, arrive at London Airport from Rome for the Commonwealth versus USA athletics meeting on Sept. 12. 1960. From left to right, they are Martha Hudson, Lucinda Williams, Wilma Rudolph and Barbara Jones.
American Olympic sprinter Wilma Rudolph in the final steps of a race at the 1960 Summer Games. Rudolph, who couldn’t walk without the use of braces until she was nine, won gold in the 100- and 200-meter run, and anchored the winning 400-meter relay team.
National champion and Olympic team figure skating member Peggy Fleming of Boulder Springs, Colorado, wears her Olympic parade uniform during a fitting session on Jan. 22, 1968.
Avery Brundage, President of the International Olympic Committee, presents the winning gold medals to Otis Paul Drayton, Gerald Ashworth, Richard Stebbins and Robert Hayes of the United States during the medal ceremony for winning the Men’s 4 x 100 meters relay competition on Oct. 21, 1964, during the Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan.
The women of the United States Olympic team lead their male counterparts into the University City Olympic Stadium during the opening ceremonies of the Olympic Games in Mexico City on Oct. 12, 1968.
U.S. Olympic team decathlon competitor Bruce Jenner of San Jose, Calif., is fitted for his Olympic uniform in Plattsburgh, New York, on July 7, 1976.
Men’s Basketball during the Summer Olympic Games on July 18, 1976.
Members of the American Men’s Olympic ice hockey team celebrate on the medal podium after receiving their gold medals in Lake Placid, New York, on Feb. 24, 1980.
The U.S. Olympic hockey team gathered in New York's Grand Army Plaza on March 3, 1980.
American Olympic athletes wave the cowboy hats that are part of their official Olympic uniforms on Feb. 8, 1984, as they march in Kosevo Stadium during opening ceremonies of the Winter Games in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia.
The American cycling team rides together in Seoul, South Korea, on Sept. 18, 1988.
A closeup view of the emblem on the official uniform of the United States Olympic Team worn during the 1984 Summer Olympic Games in Los Angeles, California.
Alpine skiers Bill Johnson (wearing hat) and Doug Lewis of the USA Olympic Team try on their Olympic uniforms prior to the 1984 Winter Olympics held in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia.
American 400 meter runner Denean Howard (right) among other members of the US Olympic team during the Parade of Nations at the Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Games, Seoul, South Korea, on Sept. 17, 1988.
Michael Jordan, left, of the Chicago Bulls and Earvin "Magic" Johnson of the Los Angeles Lakers sport their new uniforms for the 1992 US Olympic Basketball team on Sept. 21, 1991, in Chicago, Illinois.
The US women's softball team waves to the crowd after being awarded the gold medal at the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games.
New members of the U.S. Women’s National Basketball, from left, Lisa Leslie, Chamique Holdsclaw, DeLisha Milton and Nikki McCray pose with their uniforms during a news conference at the MCI Center during the 2000 Olympics.
United States Olympic athletes, from left, boxer Rock Allen, softball player Jennifer Nicholas, archer Lisa Fernandez, and fencer Ivan Lee model the new 2004 Olympic Sportswear collection on May 13, 2004, at NBC Studios in New York.
U.S. Olympic diver Mark Ruiz and rhythmic gymnast Mary Sanders pose for a photo wearing the official opening ceremonies uniform on the set of the NBC Today show on Aug. 13, 2004, which moved to Athens for the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece.
Players from the US Olympic basketball team (L-R) Carlos Boozer, Jason Kidd, Michael Redd, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Deron Willimas, Dwight Howard, Kobe Bryant, Chris Paul, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh and Tayshaun Prince pose in Rockefeller Center on June 30, 2008, to display the uniforms provided by Nike they will wear at the Beijing Olympics.
Uniforms outfitted for the Olympic Rowing are displayed at Boathouse Sports on July 13, 2012, in Philadelphia for the Summer Games in London.
Team USA during the Opening Ceremony of the 2012 Summer Olympic Games held in London, England, on July 27, 2012.
Nordic combined skier Todd Lodwick of the United States Olympic team carries his country’s flag during the Opening Ceremony of the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics on Feb. 7, 2014, in Sochi, Russia.
U.S.A. Track and Field athletes, from left, Allen Johnson, Jen Toomey, Inger Miller, Justin Gatlin and Stacy Dragila show off the 2004 uniforms which will debut at the Olympic games in Athens during a news conference July 13, 2004, in Sacramento, California.
The 100 day countdown to the 2012 London Olympics on NBC News’ Today show.
From left: Ryan Lochte, Haley Anderson and Jordan Burroughs on TODAY revealing the Olympics Closing Ceremony uniforms on April 27, 2016.
Flag bearer Michael Phelps of the United States leads the U.S. Olympic Team during the Opening Ceremony of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games on Aug. 5, 2016, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
USA Olympic Team uniforms debut on March 17, 2016, in New York City.
Professional basketball players Elena Delle Donne, Kevin Durant, and Sanya Richards-Ross show off the 2016 Olympics Uniforms For USA on March 17, 2016, in New York City.
Team USA Tokyo Olympic closing ceremony uniforms are displayed during the unveiling at the Ralph Lauren SoHo Store on April 13, 2021, in New York City.
Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP
Team USA Tokyo Olympic closing ceremony uniforms are displayed during the unveiling at the Ralph Lauren SoHo Store on April 13, 2021, in New York City.
Team USA Tokyo Olympic closing ceremony uniforms are displayed during the unveiling at the Ralph Lauren SoHo Store on April 13, 2021, in New York City.
Team USA Tokyo Olympic closing ceremony uniforms are displayed during the unveiling at the Ralph Lauren SoHo Store on April 13, 2021, in New York City.
Team USA Tokyo Olympic closing ceremony uniforms are displayed during the unveiling at the Ralph Lauren SoHo Store on April 13, 2021, in New York City.
Team USA Tokyo Olympic closing ceremony uniform unveiling at the Ralph Lauren SoHo Store on April 13, 2021, in New York City.
Athletes Daryl Homer (Fencing), from left, Jordyn Barratt (Skateboard) and Heimana Reynolds (Skateboard) participate in the Team USA Tokyo Olympic closing ceremony uniform unveiling at the Ralph Lauren SoHo Store on April 13, 2021, in New York City.
Team USA Tokyo Olympic closing ceremony uniform unveiling at the Ralph Lauren SoHo Store on April 13, 2021, in New York City.
Athletes Daryl Homer (Fencing), from left, Jordyn Barratt (Skateboard) and Heimana Reynolds (Skateboard) participate in the Team USA Tokyo Olympic closing ceremony uniform unveiling at the Ralph Lauren SoHo Store on April 13, 2021, in New York City.

Bobsledder Aja Evans, who earned bronze in Sochi in 2014, retired after competing in 2018 in Pyeongchang, but she couldn't stay away.

“In retiring I needed to take a step back and just figure out who I was as a person,” said the 33-year-old Evans. “So much of my adult life had been tied to my Olympic journey, and you get a little kind of confused as far as what you want to do.”

What she wants to do, she said, is continue to work with the children in her community on the south side of Chicago as she lives out her passion.

“I want to inspire and uplift,” Evans said.

As for the uniforms, she said: “I'm loving the plaid. It gives me a sort of ski resort vibe.”

Skier Ryan Cochran-Siegle, who competes in alpine, is heading to his second Olympics in search of his first medal. Skiing, the Vermonter said, is in his blood.

“My whole family, we were all skiers growing up. My grandfather had a small little ski area, just a tow rope and a T-bar. I was the youngest of my cousins and we all just kind of grew up loving it,” he said.

The plaid, said the 29-year-old, speaks to home.

“Yeah, in Vermont we have a good variety of plaid," Cochran-Siegle smiled. “I have a good number of flannels.”

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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