Team GB kit: Stella McCartney has designed a simple kit with a royalist feel

The newly unveiled Olympic kit walks the fine line between fashion and sport

Stella McCartney on stage with the athletes at the unveiling

“I come at it from a very different angle,” said Stella McCartney yesterday, perched on a dias in a leisure centre in central London, surrounded by half-naked men and women cling-wrapped in lycra. She was referencing her decade-long collaboration with sportwear-brand Adidas, in particular the garb that collab has created for this year’s British Olympic team. Hence the pecs and stretch, and the leisure centre backdrop. McCartney unveiled her designs on Wednesday, 100 days ahead of the opening ceremony in Rio de Janeiro.

Designers frequently turn their attention to sportswear around Olympic time – Lacoste design the French team’s, Ralph Lauren those for the US. That said, McCartney is the first designer to have constructed a comprehensive kit taking athletes from the race track, to the village and beyond. Generally, designer duds are just for the showy opening ceremonies.

Why? Because fashion and sport are, traditionally, perceived to be diametric opposites. Sure they borrow from each other – but fashion is about looking good, at the expense of comfort. Sports, generally, demand the opposite. When the two cross over, the results can be ugly – read, the legging.

McCartney’s kit walks a fine line between the two: the introduction of Clima technology and Adizero fabric, for instance, ensures that this year’s kit is 10% lighter than McCartney’s last in 2012. Replacing the Union Jack that criss-crossed that kit, the key decorative motif this time is a nod to Britain’s heritage – a specially-commissioned coat of arms is the central design motif, winding together a thistle, rose, leek and flax to represent the British Isles. It is, of course, entirely rendered in red white and blue. McCartney hopes it “will live beyond the 2016 games” – as opposed to, say, that fragmented logo that so maligned London’s 2012 edition.

Stella McCartney on stage with the athletes at the unveiling (Getty)

McCartney was probably after a royalist feel, coming hot on the heels of the Queen’s 90th. It kind of evoked that – silhouetted, it sometimes looked like a post-Apocalyptic skyline of odd, jagged edges. It also resembled a football club insignia – which is fair enough. It could easily wind up a bit school sports day, too.

OIn the whole, it was a simple kit – sporty, without too much fashion fuss. That was the point. The feel was, according to McCartney, the dominant factor. She spent two years consulting with the athletes to prove it. “I want them to feel good about themselves,” said she. “And I want them to like it - visually outside of technical performance gear.” It’s interesting to note that McCartney’s foray into sportswear (her line is one of Adidas’ best-selling) initially evolved as a reaction to the empowerment of women within the industry. “This is the first time women have had their own kit, when I came on board they always wore the men’s stuff and I really fought against that.”