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Canadian athletes sport a bit of Fifth Avenue flair
By Zheng Lu
China Daily
Updated: 2008-08-20 18:25
Tu, who designed the northern country's award-winning uniforms for the 2006 Winter Olympics in Torino, Italy, says he used a Chinese-Canadian approach this year. "We really thought intelligently about this collection and wanted the collection to make sense in Beijing," Tu says. "We really tried to fuse Canada and China together in many ways, through art and symbolism."
Inspiration for the coloration of the designs was drawn from Canada's national flag and the five Chinese elements: metal, wood, water, fire and earth. Green and blue are emphasized in the design to incorporate earth and water.
"I thought we could include green, the jade green for earth, and blue for (the Canadian) Great Lakes," Tu says.
Gold is also highly visible in the garments. "Gold is of course important for Chinese. I think gold means number one, power, and excellence," he says.
Each Canadian athlete receives a package of uniforms containing 25 pieces. So far, athletes of Team Canada say they are pleased with the uniforms.
The Vietnamese-Canadian is an internationally acclaimed fashion designer. Tu has previously served as the creative director for Saks Fifth Avenue. He also founded his own label SAMPLE in 1998, which specializes in luxurious knitwear.