The Olympics gymnastics tumbling floor is basically a designer runway, with athletes donning $3,000 leotards adorned with thousands upon thousands of Swarovski crystals. Fortune spoke with design team GK Elite about the craft that goes into these stunning garments and the evolution of Olympic gymnastics fashion over the years.
Category
🤖
TechTranscript
00:00Harris is set to showcase a unique runway this summer on its Olympic Gymnastics tumbling
00:07floor.
00:08This unofficial fashion week has the U.S. Gymnastics team fighting for gold in eight
00:13custom-made leotards, sparkling with 47,000 Swarovski crystals.
00:18The dazzling costumes aren't for sale, but would retail for about $3,000 each.
00:24We wanted to make sure that we were elevating the looks of Team USA.
00:30Paris is the world center of fashion, so connecting the location of the Olympics with Team USA.
00:40Created by the Pennsylvania-based company GK Elite, these leotards feature up to 10,000
00:45crystals, each meticulously arranged on custom fabric.
00:49Though gymnastic uniforms have always been eye-catching, according to the New York Times,
00:53the dazzled leotards emerged around the early 2000s, with just a few crystals here and
00:58there to catch the light in the arena.
00:59But the trend has accelerated dramatically this century.
01:02As these garments have become more popular among competitors, gymnasts have personalized
01:06the colors and patterns to reflect their own taste, drawing inspiration from icons like
01:11Beyonce.
01:12Being so inspired by the American flag just helps that sense of representing your country,
01:18which is really what the Olympics is all about, and that spirit of strong athleticism and
01:24strong patriotism just merging together.