Stella Mccartney clears her name on garish Elvis outfits at Olympics opening

Stella McCartney has clarified that she was not the one responsible for the design ...

14:02 31 July 2012

Stella McCartney has clarified that she was not the one responsible for the design of the less-than-impressive white and gold tracksuits that Team GB won at the Olympics opening ceremony. The outfits received plenty of criticism from fans, and so did Stella, who was initially believed to have created the outfits. Fans thought that the outfits made the British squad appear like ‘a team of Elvis impersonators’. 

 

Top designer Stella McCartney came out to clear her name by saying she did not design the tracksuits. Instead, they were made by clothing manufacturer Next. 

 

On July 28, the company defended the clothing, saying that they were designed based on the shell suit jackets that comedian Harry Enfield popularized. They claimed that the design was intended to project ‘sport, strength, and youthfulness’ and that the colours were specifically selected to help Team GB stand out. Sure enough, Team GB stood out among the other teams, most of which opted for their nations’ traditional dresses or formal wear. 

 

Stella’s team, on the other hand, released a formal Twitter announcement that clarified Stella’s role in the Olympics: “To clarify, Stella designed the Team GB performance kit, podium suit and villagewear, not the Olympic ceremony suits.”