Designers of SA Olympic Gear Explain the Inspiration Behind Team’s Outfits
- The four local designers responsible for this year's Team SA uniforms have finally explained their aesthetic choices
- Working in partnership with Mr Price, the young creatives explained that the zebra print uniforms were meant to represent an inclusive South Africa
- The designers, however, take no responsibility for the veldskoen footwear
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The four local designers responsible for Team SA's uniform at this years Olympic Games say they were only following the brief given to them. Nompumelelo Mjadu, Sipho Lushaba, Mbali Zulu and Sandile Sikhakhane worked with Mr Price to create the zebra print outfits worn by the SA Olympics team in Tokyo last Friday.
Source: Twitter
South Africans were left divided this past weekend when they saw the Olympic team’s apparel. While some genuinely seem to appreciate the designs, others were not at all impressed, IOL reports.
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Speaking with a local radio show, one of the four designers claimed people reacted the way they did because they did not know the inspiration behind the design.
Apparently, the t-shirts were meant to represent Mzansi in its entirety and the designers tried to avoid showcasing just one culture or tribe.
“We were briefed about what they wanted and what they would love to wear. From there, we came with making a print of our own inspired by the Mandela dream."
He went on to add that they had nothing to do with the team's footwear.
The vellies the team wore, from Veldskoen Shoes, were designed by founders Nick Dreyer and Ross Zondagh, SA People reports.
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Mzansi reacts to SA's attire at the 2020 Toyko Olympics opening ceremony
In related news, Briefly News previously reported that the South African Olympic team made its debut at the 2020 Toyko Olympics games on Friday 23 July. The opening ceremony kicked off at 1 pm South African time and the South African team was happy to show off the attire they would be walking on the world stage with.
The team posted pictures of their kit on Twitter and thanked Mr Price for their outfits and Veldskoeneshoes for sponsoring their shoes. The team even had masks that matched their outfits to complete the look.
It was not long after showing off their outfits before South Africans had something to say about them. Many were completely shocked by the outfits and were not sure why that particular kit was chosen.
Here are some of the reactions from South Africans:
@ReseGo_TonG:
"Dressed like they are going to a cattle auction."
@323i:
"Why is a whole national athletics team dressed like afrikaner farmers? Whoever got the tender to dress the team must pay back our hard earned tax money. No man nxa yesses."
@Inenekazi1:
"So they asked Oom Oubaas to design our kit"
@LegitBossSays_:
"Next time maybe don't think about it too much, just make them wear Protea colours because this is a no. Absolutely atrocious.Bring home some medals though!"
Some people did not hate the outfits and welcomed the diversity.
@GkMhlanga:
"Honestly speaking I like the outfits...I love the creative Safari idea...the other year we had nice traditional outfits."
@rmmarumo:
"We are a diverse nation and it's lovely to see us celebrating our different cultures. One day it's xhosa regalia at a Miss universe stage, next is this at an Olympic event. We are a colorful people. #BringBackUbuntu #ProudlySouthAfrican"
@glens1st:
"I’m confident that with these outfits we go win shame Jan van kobus ☺so are those boots or shoes and socks ??"
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Source: Briefly News
