Aug 4, 2016

Olympic Swag: How Roots Reimagined Team Apparel

With the 2016 Summer Olympics beginning this weekend, the world’s greatest athletes will strut their stuff in Rio. They are sure to be decked out head to toe in the best quality apparel and accessories while representing their countries.

Roots, a Canadian apparel company, proved to be quite the hit during the 2002 Salt Lake City games, despite a debate around using a Canadian company for team USA apparel. Previously, the U.S. Olympic Committee relied on American designers like Ralph Lauren to design the athlete uniforms. But Roots outfitted the entire 2002 U.S. team in hats, jackets and shirts, the most distinguished of which were the fleece “Roots Team USA Berets”.

The beret, which was the most talked about Olympic apparel item in history, first made its debut at the opening ceremonies. It created a retail boom for Roots, selling more than one million hats and generating over $30 million in revenue. After the 2002 Olympics, the beret craze swept the U.S. by storm. Roots decided to design an updated beret for the 2004 Athens Olympics, calling it the “poor boy cap”. Once again, the hats proved to be a tremendous success and transformed Roots into a go-to brand for sportswear.

Roots is known for quality, comfortable and durable apparel. Roots not only provides top-of-the-line apparel for Olympians, but also offers its line in the retail and wholesale industries. That’s right—you can brand Roots apparel! It has been available in the wholesale corporate market for two years, and many companies are raving over its offerings. This premium quality brand is a huge player in the trending category referred to as Athleisure—a comfortable meets casual style built for the office or gym. Many companies are supporting casual wear every day or, at minimum, on certain days.
Roots headwear like the Unisex Fenelon Roots73 Beanie and the Unisex Smoothrock Roots73 Ballcap are both great athletic or leisure options. The Rapidlake Roots73 SS Polo with a wicking finish is the perfect versatile piece for any occasion.
Interested in Roots for your company?  Let one of our Creative Solutions Experts help you find the right product for your employees and customers.

Enjoy the Olympics!