Celebrity Style

The Meaning Behind Every Gymnastics Uniform At The Olympics

Each one sent a powerful message.

by Avery Matera
All 8 of the Team USA Olympics Gymnastics uniforms in 2021 were made by GK Elite. Find the meaning b...
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Sponsor GK Elite made all eight of the women's gymnastics team’s training and competition uniforms for the 2021 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, with the theme proclaimed as Modern Warrior. Ahead, find the meaning behind each one.

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Day 1:

For training day, the ladies stepped out in black and lavender leotards. The black looks were inspired by the Olympic torch for the 2021 Olympics, featuring a rose gold design on the chest that is meant to evoke the image of a flame. Each leotard features 3,515 Swarovski crystals.
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Day 1:

The lavender leotards worn on day one of this year’s Olympics in Tokyo feature 3,468 Swarovski crystals with an inverted V-panel made of mesh at the chest. It was, quite simply, designed to ensure that team USA stood out among the rest, even before the competitions began.
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Day 2:

The qualifying round called for a bright blue leotard that was peppered with red and white stripes all over, including random sprinklings of adorning crystals. This look was meant to be reminiscent of fireworks, which not only describes how Team USA shot out of the gate, but also gives a nod to celebrations like the Fourth of July.
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Day 5:

This leotard was designed to feel as though the American flag was being wrapped around the athlete, through the use of red, white, and blue chevrons. In this case, chevrons were chosen instead of stars and stripes to make the design more modern and less literal. Each long-sleeved crewneck leotard was studded with more than 7,600 Swarovski crystals.
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Day 6:

This red, white, and blue leotard doesn’t skimp when it comes to sparkle. It was inspired by the 1996 Magnificent Seven team leotard, pulling the prominent red and white stripes from decades prior. This time, however, they’re featured on the shoulders, with a deep V-neck shape embellished on the chest that symbolized a medal hung around the gymnast’s neck.
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Day 11:

Simone Biles won the bronze medal while wearing the Bursting Light leotard, which was designed to symbolize athletes’ accomplishments of the past with a nod toward the present. It features a blurred red, white, and blue stars-and-stripes pattern and 4,877 Swarovski crystals.
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Day 11:

Sunisa Lee competed on the beam on day 11 of the Tokyo Olympics wearing the Red Loyalty leotard. Drawing on the brand’s fearless theme, it is inspired by the eagle on the dollar bill and features a burst of 4,256 Swarovski crystals that originates on the chest, dispersing outward.

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