Italy’s Olympic athletes will represent their country in style at the London 2012 Games. Internationally renowned Italian designer Giorgio Armani has crafted uniforms for the 2012 team.
Each athlete on Team Italy will receive the 50-piece Armani Olympic line in a set of signature Armani luggage.
The Olympic line has generated buzz about the Italians’ impeccable fashion sense. Unlike traditional uniforms, the Armani Olympic line does not deck the team out in the colours of the national flag. Instead, the uniforms, sleek and chic in their simplicity, combine dark blue and white.
Rather than expressing national pride externally through color, the uniform instills national pride in the wearer: stitched into the lining of the inner part of the national team’s tracksuit jacket are the lyrics of the Italian national anthem, the Mameli Hymn. The opening words of the anthem are also sewn under the collar of the uniform’s polo shirts.
When asked about his designs and why he chose to include the words to the national anthem, Armani responded: ‘Sport is the most patriotic activity and inspires national pride.’
In years past, the Italian national soccer team has been criticized for not knowing the lyrics to the national anthem. In fact, many Italians admit they don’t know the song either, as it is not part of the Italian school curriculum.
