FASHION HISTORY
The Summer Olympics
ANCIENT TIMES During the first Olympic Games, the ancient Greeks competed in the nude. For the Greeks, this was nothing to be embarrassed about and it was an important part of the Olympic tradition.
1896–1900 The first modern Olympic Games were not as fashion-forward as they are now. Competitors arrived at the Games wearing their own clothes or the uniform of a private athletic club. Men wore simple shorts and a cotton vest while women were required to be more covered up. Female tennis players competed in ankle-length dresses with long sleeves and high necklines. They even had to wear shoes with heels!
1908 While the athletes paraded around the arena, they were expected to either wear the costume of their country or the costume of their sport. The French athletes wore a type of hat called a kepis and breeches with knee-length boots. The Germans dressed entirely in navy blue and the Italians dawned matching straw hats. These coordinated national outfits would become a mainstay of the Olympics’ opening ceremony.
1928 By the 1920s, the rules about women’s attire had relaxed a bit. Women were allowed to compete in track and field for the first time and the female athletes wore short-sleeved shirts and baggy shorts. This outfit was much cooler and easier to move around in than a long dress.
1936 The Olympics in Berlin brought something new to the fashion scene: celebrity endorsement of clothing brands. Jesse Owens wore a German shoe created by the Dassler Brothers’ company. This German company would later split into two companies that we know today as Adidas and Puma. Owens went on to win four gold medals in a pair of track spikes, bringing a lot of attention to the Dassler Brothers’ shoes.
1948 After WWII, stretchy fabrics became more popular and were used in the Olympians’ outfits. By the late 1950s, synthetic fabrics like spandex had been invented. In these early days, spandex was used mostly for underwear and swimsuits. It wasn’t until the 1970s that it became a popular fabric for athletic clothing.
1964 Welcome to the era of the modern leotard! Female gymnasts started to wear the tightfitting one-piece suit that we all recognize today. These long-sleeved leotards were simply designed and did not have the glitz or the glam that we see gymnasts wear today.
1990s–2000s This era brought a surge of technological innovation to Olympic clothing. Scientists worked hard to create the most aerodynamic attire they could think of for the athletes. Full-length bodysuits came onto the scene. These skin-tight suits worn by swimmers were actually too good at increasing an athlete's performance and, in 2009, body-length swimsuits were banned from swimming competitions.
2010s–TODAY The Olympics have not only become a spectacle of sport, but also fashion. Today, famous fashion designers get the opportunity to create official team kits. Science is still a key component of the athletes’ gear as scientists work to develop clothing that’s comfortable, aerodynamic, and lightweight.