NEW YORK -US Olympic Gold and Silver Medalist Apolo Ohno helped launch the new Roots official Team USA collection live on the Today Show this morning. The Olympic wear for Torino 2006 pays homage to the culture of the host country, Italy, while capturing the spirit of what it means to be American.
With this morning’s launch, the collection is now available at www.Target.com and www.roots.com. In January, one month before the Games kick off in Torino, the Roots Olympic Team USA line will also be available in 1,400 Target stores throughout the United States.
Today Show Host Matt Lauer interviewed Olympic short track speedskating phenomenon Apolo Ohno, a Gold Medalist favourite in Turino (following his Gold and Silver medals at Salt Lake City in 2002) and US bobsled driver and Olympic hopeful Shauna Rohbock as they modeled several pieces from the collection.
Ohno wore the Alpine Ceremony Sweater, which the entire Olympic team will be sporting at the opening and closing ceremonies in Torino, layered with the Village Short Track jacket, and long sleeve cotton t-shirt and the Village pant. Cozy accessories included the Arena scarf and official Team USA Beret in blue.
Shauna Rohbock modeled the Parade pant and Parade sweater, featuring a water resistant finish that makes the sweater an ideal lightweight outerwear option, paired with the Festa vest and long sleeve cotton t-shirt, accessorized with the official Team USA beret in red.
Today’s launch offered only a glimpse of what Roots has designed for Team USA. The spectacular Parade Jacket, made at the Roots state-of-the-art factory in Toronto, will be unveiled only at the Opening Ceremonies on February 10, 2006. At that moment, some 35,000 spectators attending the event at Turino’s Stadio Olimpico and two billion TV viewers around the world will see the much-anticipated Roots Parade Jacket. In view of its innovative design, the Parade Jacket will take American Olympic style to a new level of coolness.
Roots’ groundbreaking Olympic team designs captured the attention of the world in 2000 and brought a new “cool factor” to Olympic wear as streetwear. As the leader in functional and fashionable designs for athletes, Roots has once again raised the bar with its 2006 United States Olympic and Paralympic Team collections.
Paying tribute to the host country, athlete specific labeling will feature four lines of the Stars and Stripes, translated in Italian. In addition, the custom USA font was inspired by vintage Ducati motorcycle branding famous throughout Italy. USA pride is translated through the use of consistent imagery in the form of a custom retro alpine ski stripe graphic that is used across the entire collection, embracing the strong sense of identity and patriotism of American athletes. But beyond fashion, the Team USA collection features some of the most advanced, high performance fabrics and designs that ensure comfort, fit and style to help keep athletes at the top of their game.
The complete collection features 12 pieces that take a page from popular Italian athletic fashion, with retro looks and modern fabrics, bold stripes and fashionable colour blocking. Detailed embellishments are taken from Formula One auto racing, a sport that is popular with Americans and Italians alike.
Items from the Team USA Olympic retail collection can be purchased at Target, www.target.com, Dick’s Sporting Goods, NBC Experience Store, www.usoc.org, Roots Stores in the US, and www.roots.com.
Featuring Italian inspired sweaters, t-shirts, vests and accessories, the collection is the perfect gift and the ultimate way to show support for Team USA this February. Prices range from $19.95 to $248.00 |
