Blending the fashion of the time, functionality and elements of national pride, Australia’s Olympic Games opening ceremony uniforms capture moments in time.
Each time, the unveiling of the outfits becomes a spectacle of its own, with sport and fashion fans eagerly waiting to see what their country’s top athletes will wear as the walk into the main arena.
Team Australia’s outfits for the Paris 2024 Games have been unveiled at Clovelly in Sydney this morning.
Competition uniforms were revealed earlier this year.
The emphasis on fashion will be greater than ever this year, as Olympians head to the fashion capital of the world.
“With a global television audience of more than one billion people watching the Opening Ceremony, the Australian Team will wear a uniform inspired by the unmistakable essence of Paris, with fashion at the forefront,” a statement read.
It’s the 10th time Australian brand Sportscraft has designed the outfits, and Dunlop Volleys are returning as the official shoe.
Undoubtedly, like the years before, the uniforms will draw mixed opinions.
Here are some of the most memorable outfits over the decades.
Pin-striped power-dressing in Rio
The 2016 Rio Olympics opening ceremony get-up was described by the Olympic Committee at the time as a reflection of “Australian heritage and lifestyle” that was fitting for the climate and “festive spirit of host city Rio”.
The mint-coloured, stripy, seersucker cotton blazers were the main feature of the ensemble, which included a unique lining inside the jacket bearing each athlete’s name.
It was a lighter, fresh update, giving off preppy, nautical, vibes with white bottoms and boat shoes to finish off the look.
It was met with mixed reviews at the time, with fashion publication GQ writing the outfit was similar to what a “standard issue yacht crew” might wear.
Corporate dress code in Beijing
While Australia’s opening ceremony uniforms have consistently featured green and gold hues at the past few games, it hasn’t always been this way.
In 2008, the opening ceremony uniform was a navy suit with blue ties for male athletes and blue slick neck scarves for female athletes.
The black, peep-toe heels and form-fitting pencil skirts were very early noughties.
The ensemble, once again designed by Sportscraft, even featured a small, metallic silver handbag for female athletes.
Celebrating flora and fauna in LA
One of Australia’s more kitschy uniforms was the yellow, Australian animal top and skirt worn at the opening ceremony of the 1984 Games in Los Angeles.
Australian fashion designer Prue Acton dreamed up the outfit which comprised an Akubra hat with a feather, skirt, top, belt, necklace and shoes.
The top featured a mother and baby koala in a tree, and the skirt showed a kangaroo on an Australian landscape.
The men’s uniform was a bright yellow blazer with beige chinos and a white shirt also topped off with an Akubra.
It really can’t get more Aussie than that.
Athleisure in Athens
In 2004, the designers of Australia’s opening ceremony uniform took a more relaxed, sporty approach.
The uniform was also more unisex, with men and women both wearing grey trousers, white shirts and green, star-patterned bomber jackets.
Bright florals in Barcelona
The 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona featured one of Australia’s more flamboyant opening ceremony looks.
The team’s men and women each wore a variation of a short-sleeved shirt featuring red, blue, yellow and white Australian wildflowers.
In a very popular style at the time, women wore green skorts and sandals while men wore dark green tailored shorts with brown shoes and long socks.
The look was completed with a wide-brimmed, straw hat.
Geometrical green and gold for Tokyo
With the humidity of a Tokyo summer in mind, designer Sportscraft’s main focus for the 2020 opening ceremony was ensuring the athletes were comfortable.
The design was inspired by the “electric lights, vibrant colours and bustling atmosphere synonymous with Tokyo”.
The angles used in the designs were inspired by Japan’s famous Shibuya Crossing intersection, along with elements of the Southern Cross.
‘Youthful’ style in Sydney
When designing the Australian Olympic team’s uniform for the Sydney 2000 opening ceremony, the Woolmark Company and Mambo drew inspiration from Australia’s landscape and culture.
As the median age of the Aussie Olympic team was 22, the designers wanted to make sure the look was youthful.
The result was an ochre-coloured, cropped jacket, a yellow checked, short-sleeve shirt and a green skirt or pair of pants.
The uniform was modified for the closing ceremony to include a Mambo shirt that featured the design, Suburbia, by Lachlan Barbard.
Green blazers in London
Blazers with the Australian coat of arms were a constant of opening ceremony uniforms during the 2010s.
In London in 2012, Australians donned a jacket, worn over a white shirt and white tailored shorts or trousers.
The jacket was green cotton with a navy and gold detail, lined with fabric listing previous gold medallists.
2012 was also the first year the Olympic team announced the uniforms before the ceremony took place.
“We are announcing the uniforms to you before the opening ceremony for the first time,” Olympic rower, Nick Green said at the time.
“It is historic. We know London will be historic. Today, I believe, is a great historic event.
The look was completed with a pair of white Dunlop Volleys.