In Toronto this week, lululemon in partnership with the Canadian Paralympic Committee (CPC) and Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) revealed its first-ever Summer Athlete Kit for Team Canada ahead of the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
lululemon worked with 19 different athletes, including Paralympic and Olympic Team Members, across 14 different sports to understand what a day looks like at the Games, with a focus on emotional, social and physical perspectives.
For three-time Paralympian Zak Madell, being involved in the process allowed the lululemon ambassador and wheelchair rugby star to help design a kit that he and his teammates had always dreamed.
“The biggest takeaway from being involved in the process has been seeing the genuine care from lululemon in finding accessible and adaptive solutions to develop the final kit,” Madell said. “I couldn’t imagine a better way to do it.”
lululemon undertook an inclusive process by hosting focus groups and conducting in-person product testing sessions with Canadian Paralympians. This meticulous approach ensured that the athletic gear was created to meet the unique needs of elite athletes with disabilities.
As a result, the team gear now boasts innovative features such as braille, magnetic-close zippers, and pull-on loops that show up through the collection. These specially designed elements are seamlessly integrated throughout the collection, making the Paris 2024 Team kit the most adaptive and inclusive yet, with styles specifically crafted to cater to sitting bodies.
Audrey Reilly, Team Canada Creative Director for lululemon, shared how the organization used the information from athletes to create design breakthroughs to allow the kit to be made for more.
“We focused on an adaptive fit through articulation and customizable features. We addressed comfort through fabric mixing and four-way stretch fabrics,” Reilly shared. “We heard the ask for accessible storage, so we engineered a new approach to pocket shapes and placements that are easy to access and secure.”
This focus on the adaptive fit lead lululemon designers to create items such as the seated-fit carpenter pants that feature sleek, lightweight Nulux™ fabric, minimal seams and no back pockets to make for a more comfortable seated experience. The kit features water-repellent fabric over the legs and calves that keeps wheelchair users dry from rainwater and splashing, while featuring interior pull-on loops make it easier to get dressed while seated. Satisfying a long time request, the pants also include added pockets below the knees and at the front of the hips prevent items from falling into a wheelchair seat.
Taking into account the changing weather conditions of Paris in late summer, lululemon has also included a packable rain poncho into the athlete kit that has included adaptive breakthroughs. The seated-fit packable rain poncho includes added forearm panels that are abrasion-resistant to reduce wear-and-tear and include minimal seams and customizable drawcords to create a better fit for sitting bodies.
For four-time summer Paralympian Cindy Ouellet, knowing her feedback was heard and acted upon was a great feeling for the lululemon ambassador and wheelchair basketball star.
“I am glad and grateful that my comments about an adaptive piece of clothing like the poncho were heard and acted upon,” Ouellet said. “It is a struggle at every Games to wear a poncho when it rains, so I am happy that we will have something that fits in Paris.”
Ouellet and her teammates on the Canadian women’s wheelchair basketball team are looking to book their ticket to Paris at this weekend’s 2024 International Wheelchair Basketball Federation Repechage Tournament for Women in Osaka, Japan. Canada will need a top four finish to qualify for the Paris 2024 Paralympics beginning August 28.
At the heart of the Paris 2024 collection is the lululemon Future Legacy giveback program. In partnership with CPC and COC, lululemon gives back to Canadian athletes through the Future Legacy program, with 10% of sales from all Future Legacy items supporting the Paralympic Foundation of Canada and Canadian Olympic Foundation.
Both organizations help Canadian athletes access the resources, equipment, and funding they need to experience the power of sport—from dreams, to podium, and beyond. For Paris 2024, lululemon is expanding the Future Legacy program and introducing all-new Future Legacy styles including the Team Canada Ball Cap, Scarf, and Mini Belt Bag.
Fans can cheer on Team Canada in style and comfort, as select items from the Retail Collection launch online in Canada beginning April 16, and in stores in Canada beginning April 17. Additional Team Canada apparel and accessories will launch online in Canada, the U.S. and in select stores in Paris in the lead-up to Paris 2024
For more on lululemon’s role as Official Outfitter of Team Canada and to shop the collection, visit https://shop.lululemon.com/team-canada.
