why is the olympics fashion show so complex creditburtonfeb 6 2014beyond the thrilling victories and agonizing defeats the olympics are a 16day fashion show even for fans blithely unaware that the united states alpine skiing uniforms are meant to evoke the nations flag reflected in the water off fort mchenry the morning after the british bombardment 200 years ago that inspired the starspangled bannerto some it might just look like a supertight ski uniform but dressing the athletes is more complicated than that an olympic sport in itself companies vie for the right to design and manufacture clothes both functional and aspirational then spend months promoting their creations through choreographed unveilings hoping to outdo their sartorial rivals such competition might help explain why the inside of american freeskiing jackets includes a yellow star cut from gear worn to the top of mount everest but snowboarders will wear hightech corduroy pants and jackets inspired by a quilt found at an antique show fans might be impressed to learn that the aerodynamic suits of the speedskaters were designed with the help of lockheed martin they might be more impressed to know that the similarly clingy uniforms of the luge team were designed by valiant entertainment a comicbook publisherthe biggest fashion runway will be fridays opening ceremony where the american team will march in heavy cardigans festooned in bold patchwork and iconography which one fashion pundit compared to wearing times square afterward athletes can return to their rooms and relax in specially designed village apparel as if those two words go togetherthe question that viewers might ask when confronted with the kaleidoscope of styles is as complex as any of the designs why why would companies devote untold hours effort and money to imagining creating and making mostly in the united states after commotion over ralph laurens madeinchina collection for the 2012 london games mostly small batches of hightech uniforms with tiny logos that will not be sold to the publicthe short answer is a familiar one in business jargon brandingits definitely a more broad brand play than it is a moneymaking play said jeff timmins senior global brand director for columbia sportswear columbia provided freestyle skiing uniforms for canada russia and the united states whose moguls team will wear pants with a snow camouflage pattern white basically to disguise motion a key element of judgingcompanies and various governing bodies declined to reveal details of their uniform arrangements but generally the companies pay for the right to sponsor the olympic teams and make and supply the uniforms seeing it as a rare chance to reach a global audience and align themselves if only temporarily with some of the worlds top athletes imagecreditthe north faceit builds buzz its marketing it creates fan engagement said peter zeytoonjian managing director of consumer products and events for the united states olympic committee its not completely different than what any professional sports team doesnike and ralph lauren are among those selling some products to the public that times