Feel Canada: Team Canada & lululemon unveil the Beijing 2022 team kit

When you feel your best, you perform your best.

That concept is at the heart of the uniform kit that lululemon has designed for Team Canada athletes to wear during the Beijing 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.

It’s also a time of transformation for Team Canada, with lululemon recently coming aboard as the Official Outfitter of the Canadian Olympic and Paralympic Teams. And transformation is embedded within the kit in the form of a bold print that captures the natural uniqueness of our national symbol – the maple leaf – as it undergoes metamorphosis, shifting shape and changing colour throughout its growing season.  

READ: Designer Q&A: Team Canada x lululemon present Beijing 2022 uniform kit

With the unveil of the Beijing 2022 Team Canada x lululemon Collection, we got our first glimpse at what our athletes will be wearing when they so proudly represent our country on the biggest stage in winter sport. Fans can also dress like an Olympian by buying some of incredible pieces for themselves from lululemon.

The dynamic dressing system is intended to be layered, combined, and modified by the athletes to suit their personality and their personal needs when it comes to staying warm or staying cool. As much as the Olympic Games are a moment of unity, the kit allows the athletes to showcase their individuality.

So, without further ado, let’s take a closer look at some of the innovative and evolutionary designs.

Opening Ceremony

“I was really lucky that I got to be part of some of the design process for the Olympic kit. I gave my feedback on how an athlete wants to feel wearing the gear. I was so proud because they really took those suggestions to heart, and you can see them in the gear.”

– Justin Kripps, Bobsleigh, 2018 Olympic Champion

For the Opening Ceremony, Team Canada will be dressed brightly in red with the Team Canada 22 Down Jacket layered on top of the Team Canada 22 Transformable Parka, both of which are water-repellant and windproof. If the weather gets too warm, there are some handy straps on the inside of the jacket that allow it to be worn like a backpack. Meanwhile, the parka is super convertible with multiple options for length. The sleeves can zip off to make it a vest. There is also a removeable bottom section that can be turned into a travel pillow or scarf.

That combination will be worn over a near-seamless half zip that has mesh construction for breathability and technology in the fabric to inhibit the growth of odour-causing bacteria.  

There are two different bottoms to choose from; the Chase the Chill Super High Rise Tight feature the aforementioned maple metamorphosis print while the Surge Jogger is in a deep merlot.

The look is topped off with a Quilted Trapper Hat that feels warm even if it gets wet and a Quilted Scarf in the metamorphosis print.

Podium + Media

“The modular dress system supports me as an athlete by allowing me to cater to my body’s needs in the moment. For me, for example, I don’t like to have a lot of layers on because it gets very sweaty. This dress system allows me to still be warm, but without overheating.”

– Dawn Richardson Wilson, Bobsleigh

Unfortunately, no Canadian athletes will have their friends and family in attendance at Beijing 2022 because of the ongoing pandemic. But when they fulfill their dream of standing on the Olympic podium, they’ll be in a jacket that will give them the warm and fuzzy feeling of having the support of all Canadians. Natural merino wool in an engineered knit creates a 3D texture for added warmth and comfort.

Whether they’re doing media appearances or just walking around the Olympic Village, the athletes will be showing their Canadian pride by wearing the maple leaf like never before in the form of the metamorphosis print based on a microscopic view.  

It appears on both the Team Canada 22 Cropped Jacket and the Team Canada 22 Half Zip Pullover, which can be worn over the Team Canada 22 Navigation Stretch Down Jacket that is windproof and water-resistant and constructed with channels of insulation. The print also features on the Align High Rise Pant.

Closing Ceremony

“The Opening Ceremony is this beautiful journey of draping and drenching red on the body. The flip side is the Closing Ceremony. There is nothing more overt than an opposite, and that contrast is the winter white story. The silhouettes have a different proportion – it’s all about bringing to life the metamorphosis print on the exterior and ultimately the spirit of that moment in time, the party of the Closing Ceremony.”

– Audrey Reilly, Creative Director, lululemon

For the celebration of the Closing Ceremony, the Team Canada 22 Down Jacket and Team Canada Transformable Parka are back, but this time in a white version of the maple metamorphosis print. Underneath is the Engineered Warmth Half Zip with merino wool on the inside which will be worn with joggers, also in ivory. There are also white versions of the Quilted Trapper Hat and the Quilted Scarf.

A couple of other accessories to note in the kit are a Wool-Blend Reversible Beanie which can be worn as red or white with a simple flip inside out and Quilted Mittens on a String that might bring back some childhood memories.

And don’t forget the Future Legacy Bag, from which 10% of sales support the Canadian Olympic Foundation and the Paralympic Foundation of Canada.

Lululemon is the Official Outfitter of Team Canada through the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games. You can learn more about how athletes were involved in the design process and about some of the textile technologies incorporated into the kit in our Q&A with the team at lululemon.