Olympic Uniforms are a significant part of an Olympic team’s overall aesthetic. It acts as an easily identifiable snapshot of the country that is being represented to the world, and can make a significant break in the audience perception of the athletes themselves. Each country needs to take that precious time developing designs that are functional and memorable for the world stage.
So it is quite interesting that one of the biggest teams at the Olympics continually fails at making captivating uniform designs. The United States has been a dominating force within the Olympics for decades. That said, outside of its gigantic award count, the uniforms of its athletes leave much to be desired.
It is a sentiment that many people online have, especially in comparison to other countries. The discussion only intensified once the official Winter Olympic uniforms for Mongolia were revealed, which were widely praised across social media, particularly TikTok and Instagram.
For many people, what sets Mongolia’s uniforms apart from those of the United States is how successfully they integrate traditional Mongolian clothing with sleek modern designs. Olympic uniforms perform the best when countries manage to draw from historical or cultural clothing in their designs. Of course, that isn’t to say that every Olympic uniform has to draw from cultural clothing. Many European countries have simplified uniforms that have had a positive reception. What makes the difference is the intentionality of it all.
Thankfully, this year has seen the United States’ uniforms getting better, thanks to the success of its Winter 2026 uniforms designed by Ralph Lauren.
