Now that the nearly three-year-long road to qualifying for golfers has officially come to an end, attention now shifts to Kasumigaseki Country Club just outside of Tokyo where players will compete for their chance at history. As the Official Uniform Provider for USA GOLF, today we’re proud to unveil the uniforms that will be worn by the American team for both the men’s and women’s events in Tokyo.
Once we were renamed as the Official Uniform Provider for USA Golf, we began working with Tokyo-based artist Hiroko Takahashi on concepts for how the red, white and blue would show up in Tokyo. Takahashi’s designs are iconic and instantly recognizable through her use of minimal elements like circles and straight lines meant to represent infinite possibilities. While she has worked with us on designing products in other categories at our brand, designing these uniforms for golf was a first in her career.
Takahashi drew upon a well-known saying in Japan as inspiration for the different designs for each day of competition. The saying comes from Shingen Takeda, a pre-eminent Japanese warrior in the Sengoku period, where he inspired others to be “as fast as the wind, as quiet as the forest, as daring as fire, and immovable as the mountain.”
Each day, both the men’s and women’s uniforms will represent one of these characteristics through Takahashi’s design aesthetic: Round 1 – Wind, Round 2 – Forest, Round 3 – Fire, and Round 4 – Mountain.I THINK THAT I WAS ABLE TO DESIGN WITH A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE FROM WHEN I DESIGN PRODUCTS FOR EVERYONE TO WEAR. I BELIEVE THAT GOLF IS A UNIQUE SPORT IN A SENSE THAT IT’S AN INDIVIDUAL SPORT, BUT YOU CAN ALSO PLAY IT WITH A TEAM.
WITH THAT IN MY MIND, I DESIGNED THE USA GOLF UNIFORMS WITH LINKS OF CIRCLES AND LINES, IMAGINING THE POWERS OF INDIVIDUALS COMING TOGETHER AS ONE AND SPREADING INTO INFINITE POSSIBILITIES.Hiroko Takahashi
For the men’s team, the polos will be a mixture of our Ultimate365 and HEAT.RDY lines so that players can stay loose and cool as temperatures rise in Tokyo. Our HEAT.RDY materials are made with lightweight, Aqua-X yarns that draw away sweat; and we incorporated body ventilation zones where athletes need it most so that they can be ready to face the heat:
- Day One (Wind): Players for USA GOLF will wear our Ultimate365 lightweight polo in a powerful white colorway with bold blue stripes based on Takahashi’s design. The polo is extremely breathable through mesh paneling in the back and features materials designed to move with the athlete.
- Day Two (Forest): Our sport-inspired polo features a blade collar with built-in mesh zones and HEAT.RDY materials to promote breathability where players need it most. The sporty look incorporates a light gray undertone print featuring stripes and circles that combine into a larger design. A traditional collar option will also be available.
- Day Three (Fire): Players will be wearing a bright-red polo emblazoned with Takahashi’s unique design representative of fire. The Ultimate365 lightweight polo will inspire confidence with features such as four-way stretch to promote freedom of movement throughout the swing and mesh side paneling to keep players cool.
- Day Four (Mountain): The only blue polo as part of the uniform, players will enter the final day with another sport-inspired polo featuring a blade collar for a modern and athletic look. Like day two, the polo features our HEAT.RDY material to promote breathability and includes a distinctive design across the chest. A single red striping from the collar and into the sleeves provides an added design detail. A traditional color striped ribbed collar option will also be available.
Players will also have an option to wear a long-sleeve, Ultimate365 polo that’s breathable, but with UPF50 sun protection.
For bottoms, men will have a blue pant option made with our meltaway material; giving players a soft and premium feel to the touch but with ventilation to promote air flow as they play. There is also a white option that features our lightweight material with twill for a distinctive look and style.
For the women competing on behalf of USA GOLF, uniforms will come in a mixture of our HEAT.RDY and AEROREADY materials so that they can stay cool and perform their best on the course:
- Day One (Wind): For the first day of competition, athletes will be wearing our crew mock short-sleeve polo and a white colorway with blue stripes across the body. In addition to the sporty look, the polo is designed with lightweight fabric on the back panel to help promote ventilation and keep them cool. For bottoms, players will have our 16” Ultimate Solid Skort, which comes with a bonded waistband and a bright red undershort that will provide another pop of color.
- Day Two (Forest): Players will have the option between our lightweight long-sleeve shirt (weighing just 127g) in a mock collar, as well as a short-sleeve or sleeveless polo featuring our sport collar construction. All will feature the same pattern from Takahashi’s designs and are HEAT.RDY materials to keep them cool. The women will have an option to wear a specially designed pull-on woven short in blue that features a bonded waistband and a three-inch inseam; with the USA logo and side slits in red for some added color. Side pockets and a back-right pocket gives it a smooth and athletic finish.
- Day Three (Fire): Tops and bottoms will be all red – representative of fire – to bring some energy to the course the day before the final round. Athletes will be wearing our zip mock polo coming in short-sleeve and sleeveless options. It includes a hidden-zip closure to give a clean finish. For bottoms, players will have the option of our 16” A-Line silhouette skort that features a bonded waistband.
- Day Four (Mountain): As the women of USA GOLF head into the final round, players will wear our sport-inspired dress with a mock collar and hidden zip closure. This lightweight, sleeveless dress features an athletic cut throughout to promote confidence with every swing while keeping players cool and comfortable.
The men’s and women’s apparel will feature the same print patterns for each day of competition from Takahashi’s designs.
GOLF HAS SEEN SUCH A TREMENDOUS SURGE IN POPULARITY AROUND THE WORLD OVER THE LAST YEAR, SO WE’RE EXCITED TO SUPPORT THE USA GOLF ATHLETES ON THE WORLD’S STAGE AS THEY COMPETE IN TOKYO NEXT MONTH.
THIS CAPSULE OF UNIFORMS CARRIES SUCH A UNIQUE STORY FROM A DESIGN STANDPOINT, BUT WE ALSO MADE SURE OUR BEST MATERIAL INNOVATIONS WERE EMBEDDED AS PART OF THE UNIFORM SO THAT ALL PLAYERS ON THE USA GOLF TEAMS CAN PERFORM AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL.Jeff Lienhart, President, adidas Golf
In addition to the men’s and women’s teams wearing the apparel in Tokyo, adidas outfitted both teams for the 2018 Youth Olympic Games and 2019 Pan-Am Games. Casual golf apparel will also be provided for player caddies and USA GOLF staff for all events.BOTH HIROKO AND THE TEAM AT ADIDAS DID SUCH AN AMAZING JOB TO REPRESENT THE UNITED STATES WITH THESE UNIFORMS. THIS HAS BEEN SUCH A LONG-AWAITED EVENT,
SO WE’RE EXCITED TO FINALLY SEE THESE ATHLETES COMPETE ON BEHALF OF USA GOLF AND KNOW THAT THESE UNIFORMS WERE MADE WITH ADIDAS’ MOST INNOVATIVE MATERIALS SO ALL PLAYERS WILL PERFORM AT THEIR BEST.Andy Levinson, Executive Director, USA Golf
This is our second time outfitting the USA GOLF team, as we were the Official Uniform Provider for USA GOLF in Rio de Janeiro as the sport made its return to the event for the first time since 1904.
The official uniforms and additional USA-related gear will be available beginning July 1 on adidas.com, the adidas app and at select retailers.*
*Product available in the U.S. and South Korea only.
