It took around three months and 33 different departments to produce the glittering leotards worn by the US women’s gymnastics team at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
The process began with GK Elite conducting a survey asking athletes about their preferred colors, necklines, fabrics, crystal coverage, and other design elements, GK Elite lead designer Jeanne Diaz told Business Insider. The sportswear company then collaborated with USA Gymnastics and a panel of former athletes to create the designs. Finally, the leotards were sewn at GK Elite’s in-house manufacturing floor in Reading, Pennsylvania.
With custom fabrics and thousands of crystals, each leotard is valued at around $5,000, Diaz said.
The Olympic athletes themselves didn’t see any of the final leotard designs until they were named to the team, a reveal that Diaz described as “a really special moment.”
For the 2024 Olympics, the GK Elite design team took inspiration from the host city of Paris, incorporating French fashion elements and paying tribute to the City of Light.
The leotards are still unmistakably American with nods to Fourth of July fireworks and the “Star-Spangled Banner” in red, white, and blue.
“Under the arena lights, some of that detail might get lost, but that’s OK because the detail is also for the athletes to feel confident, and that confidence will hopefully translate to their performances,” Diaz said.
Here are hidden details you may have missed in Team USA’s leotard designs.
The “Sovereign Sparkle” leotard is meant to evoke Fourth of July fireworks.
Team USA wore the “Sovereign Sparkle” leotards to podium training on Thursday.
The firework-inspired design adds an “Americana element” to the leotard collection, Diaz said.
It shimmers with 3,423 crystals and 300 hand-placed jewels.
The sparkles on the leotard also evoke the Eiffel Tower when it lights up at night.
Each “Star Spangled Shine” leotard features 6,359 crystals in red, white, blue, and gold.
Team USA wore the “Star Spangled Shine” designs to the qualification event on Sunday.
The red, white, and blue crystals reference the American flag, while the gold crystals pay tribute to the team’s historic gold-medal wins.
The back was designed to look like a lace-up corset, an ode to the French corset style.
Diaz said that the criss-cross crystal pattern was inspired by the “boning-style lines” of corsetry.
The velvet detailing along the neck and waist was specifically requested by the athletes.
GK Elite said the velvet pieces, which are also adorned with colorful crystals, add “a touch of sophistication and comfort” to the design.
The negative-space stars are a patriotic reference to the American flag.
The star pattern is featured on the leotard’s upper bodice and sleeves.
Diaz said that Olympic athletes often prefer mesh sleeves since they’re more breathable.
The leotard for the team final on Tuesday paid tribute to the 1996 US women’s gymnastics team.
The 1996 US women’s gymnastics team made history by winning the first US team gold in the women’s all-around event, earning them the nickname “Magnificent Seven.”
The original 1996 design featured the stars and stripes of the American flag across one shoulder.
“They were the pioneers,” Diaz said of the 1996 team, adding that the throwback design helps the 2024 Olympians “carry a piece of that legacy with them.”
With a similar theme, Diaz said the 2024 version evokes the moment when an athlete is draped in the American flag after winning gold.
The design is titled “Go for Glory.”
It also features 9,929 crystals, an evolution from the 1996 leotards that didn’t feature any sparkling embellishments.
“Olympic gymnastics leotards have definitely evolved over time,” Diaz said. “We have gone from little to no crystal coverage at all, to now tens of thousands of Swarovski crystals adorning the Paris Olympic leotards.”
Diaz added that this year’s gymnasts asked for more crystal coverage in the GK Elite leotard design survey.
“We loved that answer,” she said.
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