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These skateboarding outfits bring street style to the Olympics

In 2020, skiing became an official Olympic sport. And at the Paris Olympics in July Eco-friendly sneaker brand Cariuma wants to capitalize on the fashion history of the sport.

Cariuma, a six-year-old Brazilian startup, will manufacture uniforms for ski teams from the Netherlands, Slovakia and Portugal. Carioma has extensive experience designing skateboard sneakers, but she enlisted the help of Sao Paulo-born fashion designer Pedro Andrade to design the clothes. While fashion is a big part of the design process, Kariuma also focused on making the uniforms as sustainable as possible.

Andrade trained as an industrial designer, but eventually worked in fashion, launching the streetwear brand Beat. For the past two years, he has been interested in finding ways to make clothing sustainably, using regeneratively grown materials, if possible, and was particularly interested in this project. “Cariuma is another Brazilian brand, and we have an opportunity to share the Brazilian approach to streetwear,” says Andrade. “We are both interested in how to make this Olympic uniform extremely sustainable.”

[Photo: Cariuma]

Reimagining ski apparel

There is a thriving skater subculture in Brazil. Cariuma co-founder Fernando Porto grew up skateboarding, which inspired him to launch a skateboard-inspired sneaker brand. For his part, Andrade put a lot of thought into what skaters wear. While other sports have very specific technical clothing, skiers wear a range of clothing. “For skaters, it’s all about comfort and being able to express themselves through what you wear,” he says. “Skateboarding is a form of self-expression.”

Andrade creates many different outfits for skaters to choose from. There are polo shirts inspired by football uniforms of the 90s and 2000s, which are very popular among Brazilian skaters. He made it oversized, so there is more airflow. He also created tank tops and long-sleeved shirts decorated with different patterns and colors. Skaters can choose between knee-length shorts, oversized shorts, and trousers. There are baseball caps. “Every skater can mix and match to create a look they like and feel comfortable wearing,” he says.

To ensure skaters were as comfortable as possible, Andrade used tape to connect pieces of fabric instead of seams. This means there is less friction with the wearer’s body. He also used lightweight, breathable jersey fabric, which wicks away moisture and encourages airflow.

[Photo: Cariuma]

More sustainable fabric

Andrade worked with Cariuma to ensure all materials used in the clothing were sustainably sourced. This equipment is entirely manufactured in Portugal, in factories certified in the efficient use of energy. They chose to manufacture the products in Europe, so they wouldn’t have to travel to Paris for the Games. The main material of the shirts is recycled polyester, made from old water bottles. Manufacturing recycled polyester requires 90% less water and approximately 50% less energy than new petroleum-based polyester. All cotton used in shoes and clothing is organic.

As a relatively new brand, Cariuma competes with larger sneaker companies on the market, from Nike to Vans. Sponsoring Olympic teams is one way a brand can make an impact on the global stage. But the brand has also sponsored skaters in many other street and park skating events around the world.

As a designer, Andrade says designing the Olympic uniform presents some interesting challenges. There are strict rules set by the Olympic Committee regarding the placement of logos and color palettes. But Andrade tried to be as creative as possible within these barriers. For example, the Dutch team loved soccer, so they created a look inspired by old soccer jerseys. For the Portugal team, he developed a claw pattern inspired by the lines of the Cariuma logo. “It’s an aggressive look,” Andrade says. “But it fits with the team spirit.”


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