Belarusian Olympic uniform creates stir at the Games opening ceremony, with orders flooding worldwide

Our guys are the most stylish! I was thinking as I watched the Olympic opening ceremony. Milk-grey trousers, red jackets, national ornament embellished T-shirts, and slip-ons... 

I was not the only one to think so. Following the Rio Summer Games official opening ceremony, USA Today website ra­ted the national teams’ outfits, placing those of Belarus within the top ten. 

‘They look like an ordinary suit, but the men’s shirts have the same ornamentation as on the flag, using local floral motifs’ wrote foreign experts, speaking about the Belarusian uniform. 

I liked the T-shirts most and want to buy one! I read that the uniform would soon be on sale. Google helped me find the show room of Yulia Latushkina, who designed the parade collection, and I headed over.

You need to book an appointment to visit the show room, at latushkina.by, and I arrived at the agreed time. The show room is spacious and light, featu­ring not only the famous T-shirts but silk skirts, evening dresses and summer dresses.

“They’re in great demand. Girls buy dresses most often, while men purchase polo shirts, with small and medium as the most popular sizes,” says Anastasia Rudkovskaya, the administrator of the fashion house. 

“Red or blue?” she gives me two T-shirts featuring the embroidery-like patterns.  

Red symbolises life and the Olympic flame, while blue represents purity and the morning freshness of our lakes: known as blue-eyed. The pattern resembles the cornflower, familiar to every Belarusian. The stretchy T-shirts are figure-hugging and don’t hinder movement, looking good for work and for going out. 

I ask if I can buy trousers and a jacket, as seen in the parade and am told that these need to be ordered, being tailored to fit. 

I choose a red T-shirt, at RUR 1,600, which seems reasonable, and another as a gift for my cousin, who lives in Israel. 

“Our clothes sell worldwide. Items are universal and can be matched with various clothing elements,” says Anastasia. 

While I was turning in front of the mirror, a girl bought a T-shirt for her husband, saying, “Dima’s a professional sportsman: a multi-champion of Belarus in rowing. Now he’s keen on CrossFit. He dreamt of participating in the Olympics, but the dream never came true. In this outfit, he can feel part of the team.” 

The next day, in the media, I saw Dima wearing the Olympic T-shirt, receiving only compliments in the comments.