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Olympic Spirit?
By admins | February 15, 2010
In case you have any spare time during fashion week, you may have noticed the Winter Olympics are underway. Whether or not you enjoy watching these events, you no doubt are aware of the patriotism it evokes. This year that is particularly true for our neighbors to the north, who on Sunday finally won their 1st Canadian Gold Medal at home. It is a time where every country is on display and we all do our best to promote and portray what is best about our nation. In the opening ceremonies many countries went with native costume or apparel that represented their image, i.e. Bermuda’s team paraded into the cold Vancouver air, sporting red Bermuda shorts.
So what did the American team wear? They were sporting the all-American Ralph Lauren classic look. The winter puffer jackets in Navy and turtle necks were all very traditional Americana. And of course there was the American flag patch and official team USA appliqué. As a matter of fact Ralph Lauren is the Official Outfitter of the 2010 US Olympic Team. So we wondered, are the clothes actually American? Is the apparel made in the USA? They must be made domestically right? The Olympic gear couldn’t be outsourced to a third world country, could it? Well, unfortunately it can and it is!
If you check out RL website under the Olympic section you can get all the details and the products are clearly listed as “Imported.” Of course they are smart enough not to publish, “Made in China” but still we know what imported means and it’s not from Canada. But just to be sure, we contacted Ralph Lauren and inquired about the Men’s Opening Ceremony Team USA down jacket and asked where it was made. Guess what the answer was? Bangladesh! Not only that, but you can get your own for the low, low, “imported” price of $350. Really, what were they thinking? Seriously, the Olympics would never pick Nissan as the Official car of the Olympics (it’s Chevy) or Heineken as the official beer (it’s Budweiser) so why is the Official apparel made in Bangladesh?
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Topics: designer, fashion | 4 Comments » 
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February 15th, 2010 at 5:52 pm
I wish I could say I’m surprise by this, but unfortunately I’m not at all. Even more, I don’t think most people even care or wondered about it all. This info is one of the reasons I love this blog, keep it up!
February 15th, 2010 at 6:21 pm
all the stuff here in Vancouver (well most) was in fact made in China, pretty ridiculous if you ask me. the have known for six years and could have produced at home if they planned better, but then of course the cost for the items would be higher.
February 16th, 2010 at 12:43 pm
SHAME ON RALPH LAUREN!
February 16th, 2010 at 7:44 pm
Hello Ms 39th,
Pls don’t pick on Bangledesh! Believe it or not there is a huge factory there that is Korean run and that is their specialty, down and performance-like outerwear. So,
it’s not that unheard of…….
Why do these have to be USA made?
My question was why was that giant tacky polo player logo allowed on the uniforms. Seem’d a bit – garmento! Oh no!