The story behind the United States’ Olympic uniforms

For American athletes at the Olympics Games, representing your country means donning the red, white and blue. Adidas, as the official uniform provider for USA Golf, worked with a Tokyo-based artist to give a local flavor to what the Americans will wear while competing at Japan’s Kasumigaseki Country Club.

Hiroko Takahashi’s designs are iconic and instantly recognizable through her use of minimal elements like circles and straight lines to represent infinite possibilities. While she has worked with adidas on designing products in other categories, designing these uniforms for golf was a first for her. 

Takahashi drew upon a well-known saying in Japan as inspiration for the different designs for each day of competition. The saying comes from Shingen Takeda, a pre-eminent Japanese warrior in the Sengoku period, who inspired others to be “as fast as the wind, as quiet as the forest, as daring as fire, and immovable as the mountain.” 

Each round of both the men’s and women’s uniforms will represent one of these characteristics – wind, forest, fire and mountain -- through Takahashi’s design aesthetic.

The men’s polos will be a mixture of adidas’ Ultimate365 and HEAT.RDY lines so players can stay loose and cool as temperatures rise in Tokyo. Here’s a closer look at the men’s uniforms for each day of competition:

Round One (Wind): The U.S. men’s players will wear the Ultimate365 lightweight polo in a powerful white colorway with bold blue stripes based on Takahashi’s design. The polo is extremely breathable through mesh paneling in the back and features materials designed to move with the athlete.

Round Two (Forest): The sport-inspired polo features a blade collar with built-in mesh zones and HEAT.RDY materials to promote breathability where players need it most. The sporty look incorporates a light gray undertone print featuring stripes and circles that combine into a larger design. A traditional collar option will also be available.

Round Three (Fire): Players will wear a bright-red polo emblazoned with Takahashi’s unique design representative of fire. The Ultimate365 lightweight polo will inspire confidence with features such as four-way stretch to promote freedom of movement throughout the swing and mesh side paneling to keep players cool.

Round Four (Mountain): The only blue polo as part of the uniform, players will enter the final day with another sport-inspired polo featuring a blade collar for a modern and athletic look. Like day two, the polo features HEAT.RDY material to promote breathability and includes a distinctive design across the chest. A single red striping from the collar and into the sleeves provides an added design detail. A traditional color striped ribbed collar option will also be available.

Players will also have an option to wear a long-sleeve, Ultimate365 polo that’s breathable, but with UPF50 sun protection.

For bottoms, men will have a blue pant option made with our meltaway material; giving players a soft and premium feel to the touch but with ventilation to promote air flow as they play. There is also a white option that features our lightweight material with twill for a distinctive look and style.

The U.S. women’s uniforms will come in a mixture of HEAT.RDY and AEROREADY materials so they can stay cool and perform their best on the course. Here’s a look at their uniforms:

Day One (Wind): For the first day of competition, the U.S. athletes will wear a crew mock short-sleeve polo with a white colorway and blue stripes across the body. The polo is designed with lightweight fabric on the back panel to help promote ventilation and keep them cool. The women also will wear adidas’ 16” Ultimate Solid Skort, which comes with a bonded waistband and a bright red undershort that will provide another pop of color.

Day Two (Forest): Players can choose between adidas’ lightweight long-sleeve shirt in a mock collar, a short-sleeve or sleeveless polo featuring adidas’ sport collar construction. All will feature the same pattern from Takahashi’s designs and use HEAT.RDY materials. The women will have an option to wear a specially designed pull-on woven short in blue that features a bonded waistband and a three-inch inseam; with the USA logo and side slits in red for some added color. Side pockets and a back-right pocket gives it a smooth and athletic finish.

Day Three (Fire): Tops and bottoms will be all red – representative of fire – to bring some energy to the course the day before the final round. Athletes will be wearing adidas’ zip mock polo in short-sleeve and sleeveless options. It includes a hidden-zip closure to give a clean finish. For bottoms, players will have the option of a 16” A-Line silhouette skort that features a bonded waistband.

Day Four (Mountain): As the U.S. women head into the final round, players will wear adidas’ sport-inspired dress with a mock collar and hidden zip closure. This lightweight, sleeveless dress features an athletic cut throughout to promote confidence with every swing while keeping players cool and comfortable. 

The men’s and women’s apparel will feature the same print patterns for each day of competition from Takahashi’s designs.