The Business of Dressing the Games
From Issey Miyake’s 1992 uniforms to Milan’s luxury-led Winter Olympics, the Games have become a global runway for brands.
Image courtesy of Giorgio Armani credit SGP
The Olympics have long celebrated global unity, but the 1992 summer games in Barcelona saw an unexpected union between two nations. The Japanese designer Issey Miyake, renowned for his ‘Pleats Please’ signature technology, designed the uniforms for the Lithuanian Olympic team. It all started when Edward Domanskis, the official doctor of the Lithuanian team, wrote a letter to the designer, whom he admired, asking him to dress the Lithuanian athletes. The country had recently gained its independence and was participating in the global competition as a nation for the very first time. For Miyake, the task presented a considerable challenge: the uniforms are high-performance outfits, and athletes’ body types are different from those of models.
Using his signature pleating technology, Miyake cut lightweight polyester fabric with a hot-metal technique, making hooded jackets, T-shirts, silver trousers and shoes. The clothing was a sensation. Following the competition, he extended the collection with a version of the pleated uniforms for all countries that participated in the games that year.
The historical fashion moment sparked a conversation about how the Olympics could become significant for other major fashion houses. Dressing athletes shows a form of patriotism on a worldwide platform, while also pushing them to develop their technologies and designs. Sales could get a boost thanks to spectators, too. By 2024, when the summer games were staged in Paris, the Olympics resembled an LVMH showcase, featuring Louis Vuitton medal boxes personalized with Moët bottles to celebrate victories.
The winter games, currently being held in Milan, have historically been less popular than their summer counterparts. It began in 1924 in Chamonix, France, with modest infrastructures, and aimed above all to showcase the local culture.
Today, winter sports appeal to an elite audience and are growing in popularity around the world. Following the Beijing Olympics in 2022, winter sports experienced a rise in popularity in Asian countries. In China, the number of ski visits to domestic ski resorts climbed by nearly 13 percent in 2025, to a record 26 million, according to the China Ski Industry White Paper.
At the Milan games, Italian heritage has been on full display. The late Giorgio Armani was honored in a tribute during the opening ceremony on February 6. Athletes walking in the ceremony did double duty as models: Ralph Lauren (Team USA), Moncler (Team Brazil) and Le Coq Sportif (Team France) all designed uniforms, placing fashion at the heart of this major sporting competition.
Designing official uniforms remains a strict challenge for creatives. They are subject to the application of the Olympic Charter (Rule 61), meaning no commercial advertising is permitted. T-shirts, for example, cannot have a logo larger than 12 cm². Brands such as Adidas, Nike and Ralph Lauren sign agreements with the national Olympic committees. In exchange for global visibility, exclusive equipment rights and association with the image of the Games, they provide equipment free of charge. Brands may also win credibility in the public eye as they respond to athletes’ high-performance needs.
SKIMS entered the arena with Team USA in 2021, when Kim Kardashian’s brand became its official underwear sponsor. It paved the way for future sports partnerships. In 2023, the brand became the official underwear for the NBA, WNBA and USA Basketball. SKIMS has a knack for partnering with the right people at the right time: its NikeSKIMS ’26 campaign featured BlackPink’s Lisa, appealing to her millions of fans and sports fans alike.
In November 2025, the brand raised $225 million for a valuation of $5 billion – a sign of strong investor confidence and perceived continued growth, says the BBC. According to online community feedback, the Team USA collections have generated strong demand and rapid stock shortages, indicating the brand’s popularity around the event.
Fashion houses also help athletes to build a broader image outside of just the sport they play. Some become gain deals with luxury brands, such as Mélanie de Jesus dos Santos, a Dior ambassador since 2023, and Norwegian-Brazilian alpine skier Lucas Pinheiro Braathen, who is now a Moncler ambassador. With Milan Fashion Week starting two days after the closing ceremony, it’s possible athletes will stay in the city for front-row seats to a different kind of spectacle.