- The ‘ceremonial kit’ will be worn during Paris’ opening and closing ceremonies
- Ben Sherman has created a range of items including a bomber jacket and a polo
- The latter is decorated by red and blue ‘geometric union flags’ all over
Team GB have released their Olympic Games ‘ceremonial kit’ to be worn during the opening and closing ceremonies in Paris this summer.
Fashion brand Ben Sherman has created a range of items including a bomber jacket with a rose, thistle, daffodil and shamrock embroidered onto the back and a polo shirt with a Union Jack design.
That comes in the months after Nike was hammered for a ‘playful’ update to St George’s Cross on England’s Euros kit, where the horizonal line on the traditional red cross was replaced with a navy blue, light blue and pink one.
Ben Sherman’s polo is decorated by red and blue ‘geometric union flags’ but is yet to meet the ire of the nation in the way Nike’s new drop did.
‘It’s not just about creating a uniform; it’s about capturing the essence of British heritage and contemporary style, and embodying the pride and unity of Team GB,’ Mark Williams, Ben Sherman’s creative director, told the Evening Standard.
Team GB have released their Olympic Games ‘ceremonial kit’ to be worn during the opening and closing ceremonies in Paris this summer
Fashion brand Ben Sherman has created a range of items including a bomber jacket with a rose, thistle, daffodil and shamrock embroidered onto the back and a polo shirt
Pictured are socks in the Ben Sherman Paris Olympic Collection
The release comes in the months after Nike was hammered for a ‘playful’ update to St George’s Cross on England’s Euros kit
The bomber and polo will be worn with sky blue chinos navy, suede loafers and a new collaboration with Happy Socks, which also feature the updated union flag for the opening ceremony on July 26.
August 11’s closing ceremony will see athletes donning a Hawaiian-style shirt which, like the bomber jacket, will be decorated by the United Kingdom’s four national plants.
The floral designs are a far cry from Adidas’ Team GB Olympic kit which was blasted for being ‘basic’ after it was unveiled.
That design – with a white, red or blue base and traditional Union Jack flag on the arm – was described as being ‘grounded in simplicity’.
‘Team GB’s 2024 Olympics kits are a let down compared to past few ranges, particularly Tokyo which was outstanding. The Paris kits are the definition of unadventurous,’ someone wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
Ben Sherman’s polo is decorated by red and blue ‘geometric union flags’ but is yet to meet the ire of the nation in the way Nike’s new drop did
The floral designs are a far cry from Adidas’ Team GB Olympic kit
The floral designs are a far cry from Adidas’ Team GB Olympic kit which was blasted for being ‘basic’ after it was unveiled
Nike held firm and have not changed their design, adding that it had ‘flown off shelves’ in the days following its release
Though the design process will have begun well in advance, Adidas’ timing a month after Nike was slammed for changing the colour of the St George’s Cross led some to wonder if that had an impact.
‘Definitely a rushed alternative after the backlash of everything else,’ said another X user.
Backlash against Nike was so frenzied that Team GB insisted a similarly altered flag would feature on their kit.
Nike held firm and have not changed their design, saying it is a nod to England’s 1966 training gear, adding that it had ‘flown off shelves’ in the days following its release. The FA also rubber-stamped the jersey.