The future of Olympic uniforms is here: Ralph Lauren, the brand behind the outfits, embedded the 2018 creations with wearable heating technology that will actually warm up the athletes. How? The red-white-and-blue down parkas that the pros will wear during the Opening Ceremony come with an inside button that, when pushed, will immediately activate an internal heating system.
The athletes will be able to select the temperature of the water-repellent parkas via cellphone (there are three settings to choose from). According to USA Today, "The heat can last up to five hours on the high setting and 11 hours on the low setting, fully charged."
Much-welcomed technical advancements aside, what is really catching our attention is the set of gloves that come with the uniform. Something about them looks... off? Between the fringe, hand beading and the color, these large brown suede explorer gloves are most certainly not our favorite part of the uniform.
In addition to the parka and the gloves, the Opening Ceremony outfit includes a pair of slim jeans, a navy wool ski hat, a wool sweater, a USA-themed navy bandana, a leather belt and brown suede mountaineering boots with red laces.
Here are some pictures of the uniforms:
Introducing the #TeamUSA Opening Ceremony uniforms for the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018, unveiled this morning on the@TODAYshow. pic.twitter.com/bYlQAaPOHf
— Ralph Lauren (@RalphLauren) January 22, 2018
The U.S. winter Olympics outfits have been unveiled. What was Ralph Lauren thinking with these gloves??? https://t.co/ijMe5dMwIg pic.twitter.com/EJvVXOORiL
— Perez (@ThePerezHilton) January 23, 2018
The 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang kick off on Friday, February 9. Stay tuned for even more coverage!