French team uniforms for the Paris 2024 Opening Ceremony: Between elegance and performance

On Wednesday 17 April, exactly 100 days before the start of Olympic Games Paris 2024, the outfits that will be worn by the host Olympic and Paralympic athletes were revealed.

Berluti, the famous French luxury brand founded in 1895, was chosen to make the outfits. In consultation with a panel of athletes who participated in ceremonies from Barcelona 1992 to Tokyo 2020, an idea emerged to combine comfort and elegance for an unforgettable ceremony.

“Ultimately, the brief was that we needed an outfit that was as elegant as it was high-performance,” explained Brice Guyart, double Olympic medallist in foil and senior manager of Paris 2024 athletes.

The challenge that Berluti accepted was to compose an outfit – from head to toe – for each athlete, adapted to each body shape.

“A big challenge, especially for a house like us,” said Agnès Fillioux, director of industrialization at Berluti.

“Everything was produced in the same way as all of our products in store. We have changed absolutely nothing, it is the same craftspeople and the same workshops who made this production."

Anxious to preserve their trademark, the designers managed to insert Berluti's signature burnished-look into the collection, a symbol of the brand close to their hearts.

Athletes will be dressed in a uniquely Berluti white shirt and midnight-blue tuxedo jacket with a burnished lapel in the colours of the French flag.

“We took existing iconic models from Berluti but re-worked them to make them as comfortable as possible, and as emblematic as possible,” said Fillioux. “We worked on these shades of red and blue, and from there we got to the uniformity we were looking for both on the leather and on the textile parts."

Men will wear matching plain pants with sneakers, while women will have the additional option of a wrap skirt complete with a pair of patent moccasins.

“We are gonna be standing for a long time [at the ceremony] so we have a pair of sneakers that fits well with the uniform. As an athlete, we look for precision, we look to go beyond our limit and the more we see this uniform, the more we see detail, reflection. We are going to be proud to represent France through this outfit," said Romain Cannone, French Olympic fencing champion from Tokyo 2020.

Accessories include a pocket-handkerchief, with the same pattern as the burnished collar, that can be inserted into the men's jacket, while a scarf of the same colour can be worn by women. In addition, a hand-varnished belt in the same tones will complete the men's outfit.

“We needed outfits that reflect French know-how, the heritage of France, and Berluti is a French house,” said Guyart.

“France welcomes the whole world and we really have to succeed in establishing ourselves from the start, showing that the French delegation is ready to make history."

Comfort and elegance

The key words of the Berluti creations are "comfort" and "elegance".

“Our goal was elegance above all,” revealed Fillioux. “We really wanted all the athletes to be proud to parade in Paris."

The tuxedo jacket was designed with “cold wool and lycra so that it does not crease”, a specific request from the athletes who will wear the outfit for many hours on the most special of days.

“Even if they move, the outfit must remain impeccable, so a cold wool with lycra allows flexibility and breathing,” continued Fillioux.

The shirt is made of cotton and silk, a must-have item from Berluti's collection.

“It’s one of our bestsellers, it’s very pleasant to wear, very soft, very fluid. It’s simple, sober, and we have had very good feedback from the athletes who have had the opportunity to try them already,” concluded Fillioux.

There is also a choice of skirt offered to women – the comfort of competitors has always been the priority.

“We are going to be the most beautiful. I find those uniforms magnificent, this is French elegance. And it’s something that gives confidence," said Arnaud Assoumani, Paralympic champion in long jump at Beijing 2008.

The importance of details

In both its usual and classic collections, Berluti never writes the logo on the clothes. Instead, the French brand choses small and subtle details that show its legend.

For this outfit, a subtle Olympic or Paralympic logo has been embroided on the side of the jacket, while inside there is a personalised message, revealed Fillioux.

“We created a message to show them how proud we are to have contributed to making them elegant and beautiful for this ceremony, and also to pay tribute to them and make them feel confident. That was the goal."

More details include two small stitches, one blue, the other red, that have been sewn into the first small buttonhole on the shirts, a reminder of the flag of the French team.

Finally, on each item, a label has been embroidered with the powerful slogan: Artisan of all victories.

“The sentence was embroidered in gold thread for a symbolism of victory, but in a discreet way. To tell them that we are with them and behind them," concluded Fillioux.