Mongolian Clothing Brand 'Michelle and Amazonka' Creates
Harmony of Modern and Tradition with National Flag Embroidery Designs
As countries participating in the Paris Olympics, opening on the 26th, unveiled their team uniforms, the Mongolian team’s attire, which highlights traditional beauty, is attracting global attention.
On the 16th (local time), the US CNN broadcast reported that the Mongolian team’s uniform outshone those of other countries made by global clothing brands such as Ralph Lauren, Berluti, and Lululemon. It stated, "Inspired by traditional costumes, the intricately embroidered vests, pleated gowns, and accessories featured in Mongolia’s opening and closing ceremony outfits have been heating up social media since their release last week."
For this Olympics, the Paris luxury brand Berluti designed the French opening and closing ceremony uniforms. Ralph Lauren has been responsible for the US team’s outfits at every Olympics since 2008, and Lululemon, a premium Canadian sportswear brand with worldwide popularity, designed the Canadian team’s uniforms. The Mongolian team’s uniforms were designed by Mongolia’s clothing brand 'Michelle & Amazonka,' which has been creating high-end bespoke and ready-to-wear garments under the banner of expressing 'the essence of Mongolian tradition and culture.'
'Michelle & Amazonka' designed the Mongolian team’s uniforms using blue, red, and white?colors symbolizing Mongolia?along with various traditional patterns and motifs from the Mongolian national flag (Soyombo). The uniforms also incorporate the Eiffel Tower and the Olympic flame, symbols of Paris. For female athletes, earrings used in traditional ceremonies and embroidered bags were added as accents, while the male flag bearer wore a hat and belt used when shooting arrows and traditional Mongolian boots to enhance the look.
The Mongolian team’s uniforms have gained popularity on the short video platform TikTok, with individual videos receiving tens to hundreds of millions of views, and have received continuous praise on Michelle & Amazonka’s official Instagram and other platforms. A fashion industry insider praised, "They won before the Olympics even started." Netizens both domestically and internationally responded with comments such as "The coolest uniforms I’ve ever seen," "Versace and Louis Vuitton should take notes," "I hope our country also creates uniforms that better highlight traditional beauty," and "The blend of modern and traditional is elegant."
Meanwhile, so-called 'Olympic wear' is broadly divided into formal uniforms for the opening and closing ceremonies and competition uniforms. The opening and closing ceremonies, watched simultaneously by hundreds of millions, prioritize design, while competition uniforms emphasize functionality. Uniforms for international sports events like the Olympics must showcase each country’s unique traditional beauty and symbolic colors while maintaining a sophisticated design. For this Paris Olympics, Korea’s casual wear brand Musinsa Standard produced the Korean team’s uniforms. They chose a calm shade of blue called 'Byeokcheong' that symbolizes the East and reflects youthful spirit and progressive energy, and added a belt reinterpreted from the traditional 'gakdae' worn around the waist in the tonggwanbok (official robe) as a point of interest.
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