- High street retailer to supply more than 1,000 athletes with formal wear
- CEO Simon Wolfson said the sponsorship deal cost 'a few million pounds'
By Sadie Whitelocks
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Stella McCartney was slammed for her Team GB kit, which featured a blue and white Union flag - effectively eliminating the St George and St Patrick crosses from the design.
And now high street chain Next has stuck its head above the parapet, unveiling its collection of formal wear, which will be worn by more than 1,000 Olympians and Paralympians at the July 27 Opening Ceremony, at sponsorship events and at an official meeting with the Queen.
The range, which is entirely navy-blue, bar touches of gold detailing, includes tailored jackets, cowl-neck dresses, lace-up shoes for men and sensible courts for women.
Next has unveiled its range of formalwear as modelled by British Olympic athletes
British Olympians will receive the smart attire, which has been created in some 66 different sizes, along with their competition kit at ceremony held at Loughborough University.
The induction areas are to be branded the Next Room (ceremonies and formalwear) followed by the Adidas Room (training, competition, presentation and village uniforms).
Next will also be providing uniforms for 4,500 technical officials and suits for organisers as part of the sponsorship deal which CEO Simon Wolfson told Bloomberg cost 'a few million pounds'.
'This is a high quality suit that will see a life much more beyond the Olympics,' rower Andy Triggs Hodge said of the outfit which was made from wool woven in Yorkshire but manufactured in China due to cost pressures.
A spokesperson from the retailer said: 'Everyone at Next is thrilled to be playing a very special part in the London 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games.
Dressed to impress: Rower Andy Triggs Hodge and two-time open water world champion Keri-Anne Payne
'As the official clothing and homeware supplier to the eagerly anticipated London 2012 Games, this is a unique opportunity to showcase our attention to style, detail and innovation.'
Men’s jackets, fashioned from milled cloth, are styled with peak lapels and double angle-darting to ensure the perfect fit.
The underside of each collar is embroidered with the team motto 'Better Never Stops' for Olympians, and 'Talent, Pride, Determination' for Paralympians.
And not forgetting the Union flag each of the women's cowl-neck dresses features a laser-cut decoration on the bodice.
Ready to go: Gymnast Louis Smith puts his suit to the test
A replica of the men's Team GB suit will go on sale at 31 Next stores priced at £220, however the dresses to be worn by the country’s female competitors couldn’t be produced cheaply enough to go on sale
The replica clutch bag will be available in Next stores from mid June, priced at £25
Next, will start selling replica men's navy suits with a gold handkerchief from May 19 at 31 of its 500-plus U.K. stores.
The official Team GB logo and badges will be removed from the £220 version and the navy tie to be worn by British Olympians isn’t for sale, designer Michael Woodhouse revealed.
The dresses to be worn by the country’s female competitors also won’t be available to the public as it couldn’t be produced cheaply enough for sale to Next customers.
Instead, casual-wear such as London 2012 t-shirts depicting Olympic mascot Wenlock have gone on sale for £12 while a bag emblazoned with the national flag, will retail for £25.
Chief Executive Officer Simon Wolfson told Bloomberg that the sponsorship is about 'promoting the brand and particularly now we’re developing an international business.
'I don’t think we’ll see any overnight or instant impact from the Olympics.'
The retailer follows fellow British brands Ben Sherman, Lee Cooper and MS in designing formal wear kits for Team GB.
Giorgio Armani has designed formal wear kits for the Italian Olympic team, while Ralph Lauren will be dressing U.S. athletes for official occasions.
The World's most successful Paralympic dressage rider, Lee Pearson CBE, showcases the new Next kit
The replica men's suit will be available in 31 stores from May 19, £220. The replica clutch bag will be available in stores from mid June, £25, Next; next.co.uk.
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Does the range include kilts for the Scots in the team?
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Completely boring!!!
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Supremely dull , boring and unimaginative. What are they planning to do after the Olympics wearing this lot -sell dodgy used cars?
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Its Great Britain, not Team GB
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I love and do a lot of shopping in NEXT, but I must admit that the Olympic garb is a bit dull. It shouldn't be brazenly bold, but a bit of colour would have been more pleasant and everlastingly recognisable in the furure.
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looks like they are going to a funeral!
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No imagination gone into those designs, they all look as if they are going to a funeral.
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What is it with Next and their non colours. Everything has to be black or dark gey, their shop stock is exactly the same, I sometimes wonder whether they have joined forces with Coeoperative funeral service
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Look at the state of that Flag they are sitting on........could have shoved it in the wash before the photo shoot. But that just about sums this Country up nowadays, dirty, unkempt with a couldn't care less attitude and that's just the people who purport to be our betters. - Dave, Hastings,East Sussex, England, 04/05/2012 12:05 //// I hate everything about the olympics but have to stick up for one bit of this article. The flag is obviously a 'vintage' flag, which is really popular at the moment. In fact my son's just bought vintage union flag bedding and lamp shade for his room. In my opinion the 'vintage' look is better than the regular flag!
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Stella would have done a much better job of the tailoring. Next has managed to make our team look like shop staff.it's a no from me!
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