Many a time have Polish athletes stepped on the top spot of the podium. Their success provided the OTCF team with a source of inspiration throughout the entire creation process of the new collection. Geometric shapes – the main theme of the design – are both emblazoned on the uniforms and brought out by the use of fabrics in contrasting colours. The collection unites the worlds of fashion and technology, offering innovative solutions which will help athletes endure extreme weather conditions during the Games.
LONG-STANDING RELATIONSHIP
The collaboration between 4F and the Polish Olympic Committee began in 2008. From then on, the designers of OTCF have been creating bespoke collections tailored to the expectations of Polish athletes. ‘The symbiosis of sport and business is no accident. We get the best of both worlds, as each of them brings in unique qualities to the collaboration. Sport is a healthy, safe area of life which inspires positive emotions. And business? Its dynamic approach and pursuit of innovation are the qualities that the world of sport can exploit,’ says Andrzej Kraśnicki, president of the Polish Olympic Committee. ‘This is an extraordinary situation. We are immensely proud that our representation wears uniforms made by a Polish brand. The flexibility of OTCF and their readiness to adapt to the needs of our athletes are greatly valued. That’s why our cooperation has continued for almost a decade now,’ adds A. Kraśnicki.
Polish athletes will don 4F’s Olympic sportswear for the fifth time. The brand will also provide uniforms for the representations of Serbia, Latvia, Croatia, and Greece. All collections have been designed in collaboration with national Olympic committees and will be available on sale on the local markets.
TIMELESS DESIGN
The PyeongChang 2018 collection came into being thanks to the effort of a few dozen designers. They worked under the artistic direction of Ranita Sobańska and in collaboration with the Polish Olympic Committee which consulted different elements of the collection during the creation process. Exploiting cutting-edge technology, the designers created sportswear that guarantees durability and effectiveness. To achieve that, standard stitching was replaced by welded seams and cuts were completed with the use of a laser. The newest collection offers a reinterpretation of the sportswear style of the 80s and 90s.
‘Every collection is a bomb that we can or cannot disarm. Our designs are informed by state-of-the-art technology to provide athletes with top-quality sportswear. Aesthetics is another important issue. In our book, we managed to create something timeless,’ says Igor Klaja, president of OTCF. ‘The collection features details in white and red, Polish national colours, set against a grey background. A collaboration with the Polish Olympic Committee bore fruit in an incredible collection of winter sportswear for Olympians and Paralympians. I rest assured that our athletes will win many medals, as they always do,’ adds Klaja.
OTCF COMPANY PROVIDED COLLECTIONS FOR
Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver (2010) and Sochi (2014), Summer Olympic Games in London (2012) and Rio de Janeiro (2016), and the first European Games in Baku (2015). Polish representation donned 4F sportswear also at the Youth Olympic Games: during the summer editions held in Singapore (2010) and Nanjing (2014) and winter editions in Innsbruck (2012) and Lillehammer (2016). The brand prepared outfits for the European Youth Olympic Festivals in Trabzon (2011), Utrecht (2013), Braşov (2014), Vorarlberg/Liechtenstein and Tbilisi (2015), Erzurum and Györ (2017).
A CAMPAIGN FOR ATHLETES
The XXIII Winter Olympic Games will begin on 9 February 2018 in PyeongChang, South Korea. The competition between the best athletes from across the world will continue for seventeen days. The Polish Olympic Committee will promote the Polish Olympic Representation, its Sponsors and Partners under the slogan ‘We Are One Team’, aiming to encourage the Polish people (in the country and abroad) to join hands in supporting the national representation.
With regard to graphic design, the campaign is oriented around colourful pictograms which represent key symbols of the Winter Games. Fashioned in vibrant colours and geometrical shapes as a reference to the rich culture of South Korea, those symbols illustrate nine things most commonly associated with winter and the Games: a medal, mountains, an arena, snow, a pair of skis, a goal, a route, a finishing line, and a pair of ice skates. By focusing on those associations, the Polish Olympic Committee intends to remind our athletes, supporters, and sponsors that the emotions inspired by the Games bring us all together.
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