By Sarah Leung and Glenda Tsai
The Tokyo 2020 — but now 2021 — Olympics are coming up and countries are beginning to release their official uniform kits. Canada’s Olympic jacket has been heavily criticized for its spontaneous design. It consists of a denim jacket with faux spray paint and sharpie scribble patterns along with an assortment of patches making the jacket have an overall graffiti style.
The clothing company that designs Canada’s uniforms each year, Hudson’s Bay, claimed their reasoning behind the design as, “Tokyo is also known for its street art and fashion. We paid tribute to this in the must-have piece of the Collection – the forever cool jean jacket. The graffiti graphic and unexpected patch placements capture a youthful & celebratory feel.”
However, many Canadians do not feel that it is suitable for the Olympics and do not want their country represented this way. In the past, Canada’s uniform was a lot safer with simpler designs — red white track pants and warm-up jackets or a simple Canadian graphic tee, which is why many Canadians were shocked after seeing this new uniform.
GQ Magazine stated their opinion, saying, “Unfortunately for Canada, the garment looks like something you might spot on the sale rack at a fast-fashion retailer than something worthy of the Olympic stage.”
Many users on Twitter have also made statements showing their dislike for the jacket:
“I’d fake an injury and stay home if I had to wear these uniforms” (@allergic2da).
“The team Canada jacket is so ugly, I kinda love it?? Not enough to wear it but enough to get a kick out of it” (@AdeNiverville).
“I am screaming. This is Canada’s closing ceremony fit. Cancel the Olympics” (@ItsTheBrandi).
It is clear that this one design is causing some backlash and chaos for Canadians and the designers. What do you think about the new Canadian Olympic uniform? Would you want this to represent Canada?
Titan Times 