With 100 days until the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, French luxury menswear fashion house Berluti has unveiled Team France’s outfits designed to embody “true elegance à la française”.
The LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton-owned brand said it wanted to bring together the “savoir-faire and experience of its artisans to ensure that the French athletes look their very best” with custom-tailored head-to-toe outfits for the opening ceremonies for the Paris 2024 Olympics on July 26 and the Paralympic Games on August 28.
Described as a historic first for the French fashion house, Berluti has created 1,500 outfits for Team France for both men and women, including a tuxedo, shirt, belt, scarf or pocket square, and shoes, which have been designed in France and made in Italy using fabrics sourced exclusively in Europe.
Designed under the creative direction of fashion consultant and stylist Carine Roitfeld, Berluti consulted the athletes themselves, the Paris 2024 Organising Committee, the French National Olympic and Sports Committee and the French Paralympic and Sports Committee to gather their experiences and understand their specific needs.
This led to a collection featuring outfits in a vast array of sizes, with the fashion house having to expand its current size chart to offer the 14 sizes required by Team France, with clothing ranging from 3XS to 6XL and shoes in sizes 1 to 22.
Team France’s Paris 2024 Olympic Games opening ceremony outfits by Berluti
The outfits feature an elegant, midnight blue wool tuxedo designed to invoke pride among the French team, with the jacket featuring a shawl collar sporting a motif inspired by an all-new “French flag” patina. This motif has been created especially for the occasion in shades of blue and red, in tribute to the Maison’s historic savoir-faire. The jacket is also presented in a sleeveless version for women.
The tuxedo will be paired with a white shirt, sleeved for men and sleeveless for women, cut from a cotton-silk blend. Female athletes will also be able to choose between trousers with a trim or an elegant silk wrap-around skirt.
On their feet, men will wear a pair of Berluti Shadow trainers, redesigned with the French national colours, while female athletes and coaches will sport either the Shadow or the Maison’s flexible Lorenzo leather loafer.
On the design process, Roitfeld, said in a statement: “This has of course been an unprecedented project for me: dressing 1,500 athletes for a worldwide event! I had to find a way to marry together comfort and elegance in crafting an outfit that would be worthy of such a historic moment.
“I immediately opted for the tuxedo, a resolutely French garment, paired with a Berluti signature patina-effect shawl collar in the French national colours. All eyes will be on the athletes and coaches for the big day, so I hope that they will be feeling stylish. I want them to be as proud to wear their outfit as I have been to contribute to this fantastic project.”
Jean-Marc Mansvelt, chief executive of Berluti, added: “With this outfit, we have sought to honour French elegance and to serve French athletes and coaches. In my eyes, it has been a resounding success!”
