The New Zealand Olympic Committee unveiled its team uniform for the London Olympic Games with a nod to our proud sporting past on June 28, 2012.
The formal and casual wear collections revealed strong links to the last time New Zealand athletes competed in London.
It was 1948 and a team of seven New Zealand athletes travelled by ship to the Olympic Games that took place in a city still ravaged by war.
This inspiration is most evident in the lines and detail used in the men’s and women’s official blazers, which are the cornerstone of the range.
By building the rest of the range on the tradition that has been woven into this blazer design, Rodd & Gunn have paid tribute to New Zealand’s proud Olympic past, while adapting the blazer to give it a more modern edge.
The key element of the design is the ‘white piping’ along the edges of the blazers, which is also the most significant link to the 1948 heritage.
With the design of the blazer finalised, the rest of the collection followed naturally, while also sharing a strong connection to the look and feel of the late 1940s and early 1950s.
The Objective
The objective was to create a look that would tie into New Zealand’s proud sporting and cultural heritage, while meeting the challenge of creating a collection suitable for athletes of all ages, body types, shapes and sizes.
Rodd and Gunn head designer Irena Prikryll sourced the material in Italy.
The casual and training wear range, designed and manufactured by international sportswear company PEAK Clothing, also reflects the inspiration of the 1948 team. A flash of Pacific blue has been incorporated into the range, including a dry-fit range suitable for training and a comfortable cotton range for use whilst relaxing in the Olympic village.
The range includes classic Kiwi jandals, rainwear, specially designed for the English summer, travel bags, sports shoes and sun hats as well as the official podium tracksuit.
This classic tracksuit features the London mark, inspired by the 1948 team’s blazer pocket and a repeating silver fern pattern.
The athlete design team included Mahe Drysdale, Nathan Twaddle, Chantal Brunner, Sarah Ulmer and others. They provided an athlete perspective on the look, fit and comfort of the uniform.
‘T’ by contest
The athlete uniform also features for the first time a tee shirt designed by a member of the public. A national contest attracted more than 3500 entries in which children, professional designers alike were asked to design a tee shirt that reflect what it means to be a proud New Zealander at the Olympic Games.
The contest was won by Gareth Gardner of Brooklyn, Wellington with his Hei Tiki design.
Official New Zealand Olympic Team supporters’ wear is on sale now at Rodd & Gunn stores throughout New Zealand and in Kiwi House in London.
About 20,000 items have been created for the New Zealand Olympic team including 200 athletes and 100 support staff. It took 18 months to complete the design and production.
Report and Picture by New Zealand Olympic Committee
