Team Canada’s Olympic kits: Fashion faux pas or innovation?
This year marked Lululemon’s third games as the official outfitter of Team Canada
Team Canada wore outfits featuring bold red, icy green, and brown tones for this year's Winter Olympic Games. (Vito Amati/Lululemon)
The 2026 Winter Olympics uniform did what everyone had been waiting for — start a national conversation. Team Canada partnered with Lululemon, their official outfitter for the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Visually, in the uniforms being red and white, equivalent to the flag in previous years made them unmistakenly patriotic.
Since long, Canada’s visual identity has been clear in the Olympic lineup with their classic red, white, and maple leaf. The uniforms this year came across as simple, iconic, and emotionally appealed to Canadians.
However, the introduction of burgundy and teal colours this year looked unfamiliar and forced. Some sense it as an overdue evolution and some feel betrayal by tradition.
Personally, I think the truth sits in the tension between those two.
The new colours do not erase Canada’s identity, but re-interpret it. Burgundy feels like the glow of a winter sunset reflected off snow. Whereas teal reads like icy lakes, northern skies, and the cold clarity of January air. They aren’t the colours of the flag, but they are the colours of the landscape.
Some people also buy Olympics merch as a souvenir to their wardrobes — this is where Lululemon’s influence comes in. The brand understands how to re-design athletic wear into everyday style. Outfits don’t come alive on mannequins, they come alive on athletes, performers, and the Olympians wearing them.
While the kits don’t represent Canada well, they are representative of the fact that Canada is moving forward instead of backward. They are experimenting with something more than just nostalgia.
That said, the criticism has some merit. A stronger, red and white anchor in certain looks might have softened the shock without dulling the innovation. There’s always a balance between pushing boundaries and keeping a tether to the familiar.
Since Lululemon is one of Canada’s most recognizable brands on a global scale, the partnership makes sense. Sticking with the collaboration signals Team Canada’s confidence in a home brand. It also allows long-term visual storytelling to develop instead of resetting the aesthetic every other year.
The most successful Olympic kits tend to balance three things: national identity, wearability, and memorability. Canada truly exceeded all three this year. The teams who play safe are the ones who risk being forgettable. The team uniforms should match the moment and ceremonial intent of a historic moment.
Team Canada’s 2026 outfits were diverse, stylish, and undoubtedly deliberate. If I were a part of the games, I would wear the jerseys with so much pride, compassion, and confidence. The games aren’t just about the sport, they are about storytelling.
