Decorating & Design

August 3, 2016

Meet The Designers Of Canada’s Olympic Parade Wear For Rio!

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The opening ceremony for the Rio Olympics is August 5 and we’re excited to see the parade wear (available at Hudson’s Bay) that the Canadian team will be sporting that night, designed by London-based Canadians Dean and Dan Caten of DSQUARED2. Though these twins grew up in Toronto, their innate blend of the subversive and chic has made them fashion darlings on the international scene, and it’s obvious they kicked the style quotient up several notches for Canuck athletes. Home decor often follows fashion trends (witness the mania for Union Jack home accessories following the London 2012 Olympics). Based on this collection, get ready to see plenty of red. Here’s what the designers had to say about Canadian style.

H&H: What are some of the challenges of designing for the Olympic Parade?

D&D: The pressure is really on. We’ve designed for many celebrities’ tours and appearances but this project stands for where we are from. We wanted to make our home country proud.

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Opening Ceremony Shirt ($85)

H&H: Where did you draw inspiration?

D&D: It was important for us to have the uniform be iconic and the one visual element we focused on was the maple leaf — it’s something that has also been a part of DSQUARED2 design since the beginning.

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Opening Ceremony Jacket ($150)

H&H: Did you look at any of the previous parade clothing, or classic sporting attire? 

D&D: We did, it’s always good to have perspective of what has been done. It was important to us to honor the past in our design.

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Opening Ceremony Pant ($140)

H&H: What do the designs telegraph to the world about Canada?

D&D: That we are strong, unique and ready to take on the games in full force!

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H&H: Do either of you have a favorite item of clothing in the parade attire?

D&D: All the pieces are great individually. The jacket is a personal favorite. It’s great because it can be worn with just about anything, whenever.

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Opening Ceremony Hat ($30)

H&H: Canada plays such a big role in the identity of your brand (even though you are based in Milan). What do you love about being Canadian?

D&D: Canada was, is and always will be a source of our inspiration. There’s no place like home!

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Animal T-Shirts ($35)

Accompanying the Opening Ceremony outfit is a limited edition line of T-shirts depicting iconic Canadian animals.

Author: Wendy Jacob
Products:

All items available through Hudson’s Bay