Stella McCartney was amazed to find athletes feel their outfits impact their performance.
The fashion designer has created the clothing that the Great Britian team will compete in at the London 2012 Olympic Games. The opening ceremony will commence today at 9pm, London time (4am, on July 28 in Singapore).
Although she has teamed up with Adidas for sports ranges before, Stella found things different this time.
“They all said they felt the way they looked did impact on how they performed,” she said. “We all forget that athletes are normal people too and in the same way that you or I feel differently when we know we look good, so do they.”
Stella was particularly careful about pieces she designed for women.
Great Britain Olympics 2012 teamwear: Stella McCartney for adidas. Image: Stella McCartney
She wants the female hopefuls to look their best if they score a medal and so gave them an outfit which reflects their sexuality.
“Feminising the podium outfit was an important part of my design,” she told Stylist magazine.
“Most of the time female athletes are just given a unisex tracksuit to put on but I’ve given them the ability to cinch in their waist and to remove the Aertex lining so they can play with layering. Ultimately the athletes know they’ve had someone looking closely at every single moment of the design and I hope that lifts their spirits and makes them feel special.”
