Criticised at home, praised abroad: Czech Olympic outfits draw attention at Milan–Cortina opening ceremony
The ceremonial outfits prepared for Czech athletes for the Winter Olympics in Milan–Cortina, featuring shorts and brightly coloured sweaters, faced criticism at home ahead of the Games. But at the opening ceremony last Friday, they drew attention as well as international praise.
The outfits worn by Czech athletes during the parade did not go unnoticed. While criticism at home focused mainly on the collection’s unconventional colour combination of red, blue and gold, international fashion media took a very different view.
The website of Vanity Fair ranked the Czech uniforms among the five best Olympic collections this year, alongside those of Brazil, Mongolia, the United States and Italy. USA Today described them as the boldest of the Games, while the BBC called them among the most eye-catching.
The Olympic outfits were traditionally produced by the Czech sportswear brand Alpine Pro. This year’s collection draws inspiration from earlier Olympic Games, particularly the Winter Olympics in Cortina d’Ampezzo in 1956, when athletes competed in knitwear and bold graphic designs.
As in previous years, the collection also builds on the work of a Czech artist. This time, it is inspired by Czechoslovak graphic artist and resistance member Vojtěch Preissig, who died in the Dachau concentration camp in 1944.
The graphic motifs were developed by painter and graphic artist Milan Jaroš, who says he wanted the visual identity of the collection to be rooted directly in Preissig’s work.
“When Preissig designed typefaces, his alphabets always included small symbols that were used in old typography as ornaments, between lines or at the beginnings of paragraphs."
“When I was looking for a motif that could become the basis for the collection, or for the overall visual identity of the Czech Olympic team, I found about five such tiny elements."
“They were very small, but when each was enlarged individually, it turned out they were absolutely amazing: completely autonomous artistic signs that worked beautifully even at a large scale. So that became the basis for further work.”
Preissig, however, was not the only source of inspiration. Milan Jaroš also looked further back into Olympic and sporting history, at old posters and photographs showing athletes competing in knitwear and short trousers.
One detail he was particularly keen on including was the scarf.
“I insisted that the athletes wear scarves, because I come from a generation that loved Fellini films and that whole aesthetic. When you’re in France or Italy, you still see men wearing scarves—especially red ones—so I wanted a long red scarf.”
The setting of the opening ceremony also shaped the final look of the outfits. With the parade taking place in Milan rather than in the mountains, the designs were not driven by alpine conditions.
“Another factor was that the main parade takes place in Milan, where it’s warm. So we decided the base garment wouldn’t be a jacket, but a sweater—a loose, skiing-style sweater, brightly coloured, complemented by a hat known as a raškovka, named after the famous Czech skier Jiří Raška.”
The motifs created by Milan Jaroš were later adapted for the clothing by fashion designer Anežka Berecková. At home, the collection initially divided opinion. But many critics changed their minds once they saw the athletes moving together during the parade.
For Milan Jaroš, those reactions confirmed what he had hoped for from the start.
“I perceived those reactions very positively, because they confirmed what I had expected: the collection works best when many athletes wear it together. I also think people initially confused these outfits with sportswear, which they are not. This is ceremonial clothing for the parade. The competition outfits come from sponsors and specialised brands.”
