When Simone Biles raises her arm to salute the Olympic judges in Paris this summer, she will be wearing about 10,000 hand-crafted crystals weighing about a pound.
Gymnastics leotards are expected to project grit and grace, withstand triple-double flips and the bright spotlight of the Olympic Games.
Like the intensive training process leading up to the Olympics, creating an eye-catching Olympic leotard is a rigorous, all-out effort.
Jeanne Diaz, design director at GK Elite, the official manufacturer of leotards for the U.S. Olympic team, began working on the leotards for the Paris Olympics more than two years ago.
It all started with gathering feedback from competitive gymnasts.
“They overwhelmingly said they want to wear the red, white and blue at the Olympics. The more crystals, the better,” Diaz said.
The design team then created mood boards centered around three themes: American femininity, luxurious femininity, and chic sparkle and shine.
Each theme is based on a stylized image, such as '80s fashion, the stars of the American flag, or Parisian haute couture.
Diaz described the design process as “a high fashion interpretation of a typically sporty approach to the leotard, grounded in American iconography.”
“We really tied the designs to Paris, the host city,” Diaz said. “Paris is known as the fashion capital of the world and we know that there's a lot of attention on Team USA, so we made sure that the whole collection was unmistakably Team USA while still keeping the fashion cohesive.”
The most overtly patriotic leotard in the collection would normally be reserved for the U.S. women's gold medal bid in the team final on July 30.
The “Go for Glory” design, which will be worn by the U.S. women's team in the team final in Paris, is intended to capture “that glorious moment when the flag-draped athletes symbolize victory.”
The leotard is made with 9,929 meticulously placed diamond-cut crystals and weighs approximately one pound.
Adding the beads is the most time-consuming stage of the production process and must be done precisely to prevent the crystals from falling off while the gymnasts are competing.
“Wait, this is beautiful,” Biles said after unboxing her leotard on NBC's “Today” show, as the five-member women's gymnastics team and two reserves joined Biles in unboxing it, eliciting screams of excitement from the crowd.
The Team Final design pays homage to the iconic leotards worn by the “Magnificent Seven” at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, the first time the U.S. women's gymnastics team won a gold medal.
“Going into the competition with that power at your back is what we wanted the athletes to feel,” Diaz said.
Another Olympic design, the USA Elegance competition leotard, combines “the finesse of gymnastics with the finesse of French couture.”
It features a patriotic gradient of red and navy blue and more than 5,000 crystals, including sculpted diamonds and crystal flames, evoking an athlete's “competitive spirit.”
Corset details and zigzag trims are reminiscent of Parisian fashion, a deliberate blend of artistry and athleticism.
Each long sleeve competition leotard comes with a short sleeve replica for training sessions.
Sovereign Sparkle's design is reminiscent of Fourth of July fireworks while also mimicking Paris and the Eiffel Tower at sunset.
“Paris is the city of light,” says Dias, “so we took a tonal approach to these designs, drawing inspiration from the contrast of matte and gloss and the play of light with tonal elements.”
The American Anthem Leotard is inspired by the Art Nouveau movement, which emphasizes curves and dynamic illustrations. The leotard draws the eye upwards to the face, intended to enhance a gymnast's performance during floor exercise.
The Luminous Legacy Leotard also combines high fashion with American courage, with a color palette that mimics the night sky and features a constellation of more than 10,000 Swarovski crystals.
The bodice features a stars and stripes pattern and lines of crystals form abstract stripes along the sleeves.
“I never get tired of seeing gymnasts wearing the fruits of their years of hard work and standing on the Olympic stage,” Diaz said.
“It's all made in the USA, and watching these incredible athletes perform in the clothes that we've poured our passion and countless hours into,” she said. “Words can't express how proud we all are.”
Starting with the Opening Ceremony on July 26 at 12pm ET, every moment and every medal from the Paris 2024 Olympics will be available to stream on Peacock.
