MILAN — Giorgio Armani takes the clues.
The designer has forged a link with FISI, the Italian Winter Sports Federation, becoming the team’s official technical supplier for four seasons through his EA7 sportswear line under the Emporio Armani brand.
The link was revealed on Monday at the Armani/Teatro in Milan as part of a two-day event kicking off the national federation’s upcoming season with athletes in attendance already wearing sportswear from the EA7 collection.
The designer did not attend the event but said in a statement: “The world of sport never fails to inspire and excite me. It is animated by values that I deeply believe in: team spirit, hard work, respect and loyalty.
“This new collaboration…is another step in a direction I took years ago that has given me a lot of satisfaction and the opportunity to interact with great athletes. Winter sports are also a wonderful playing field for experimenting with style and performance while maintaining a renewed focus on the environment,” added Armani.
The partnership runs until the 2026 Winter Olympics, which will take place in Italy between Milan and the Cortina d’Ampezzo ski destination in the Veneto region.
“Over the last few years, Mr. Armani has been building a brand that began as an exploration of sportswear to quickly become a major player in the field,” Giuseppe Marsocci, deputy general manager and commercial director of Giorgio Armani, told Evento. of Monday.
“[EA7] it represents an important connection between fashion and sport, the first important example of such links… We embark on this adventure eager to learn something new along the journey that will take us through Milano Cortina 2026”, he added.
As reported, the Winter Olympics are expected to generate excitement, attract interest and help boost the Italian economy. It will be the third time that Italy will host the Winter Games after the 2006 edition in Turin and the 1956 edition in Cortina d’Ampezzo.
Pointing out its importance, the Ministry of Tourism Massimo Garavaglia revealed on Monday during the event at the Armani/Teatro that the government is supporting the federation with €1 million a year and an additional €3 million until 2026 to boost winter sports. and ski resort destinations. in the country.
Without a doubt, Italian winter sports athletes are already a source of pride for the country, with the federation reporting a record 2021-22 season with 155 podium finishes in winter disciplines and three featured stars. They include Super-G ski racer Federica Brignone, alpine ski racer Sofia Goggia, who specializes in speed events like downhill, and all-mountain skier Michele Boscacci.
Along with their teammates, the two female athletes seemed excited for the upcoming 2022-23 season, which is fast approaching. FISI President Flavio Roda praised her excellent achievements and resilience during the two years frustrated by the pandemic.
In a few weeks, when the winter sports tournaments begin, Italian athletes will be donning EA7’s high-performance gear, including ski suits, overalls, jackets and padded jackets; intermediate layers; leisure wear such as sweatpants and tops, vests, shorts and t-shirts, as well as a range of accessories and sneakers.
Italian athletes Sofia Goggia, Marta Bassino and Federica Brignone wearing the new EA7 technical outfits.
Alessandro Belluscio/Courtesy of EA7
Designed in two color schemes, burgundy and grey, the clothing spells out “Ita” on the back flanked by three brush strokes in the same colors as the country’s flag: white, red and green. The EA7 team used state-of-the-art technology for padding, such as Ardor7, a recycled fabric that mixes microfibers with recycled polyester, and Stratum7, also a recycled fill made from microfibers. Both are GRS certified.
Although it is the first time that Armani has provided the team with technical clothing (previously supplied by the Robe di Kappa brand), the merger is more of an expansion of the designer’s link to winter sports.
Through its EA7 Emporio Armani line, introduced in 2004, it was already the official supplier to the Italian Olympic team, which wore the designer’s EA7 Emporio Armani uniform during the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics in Beijing earlier this year.
His support for Italian sports teams dates back to 2012 for the London Olympics, followed by the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics, in 2016 for the Rio de Janeiro Olympics, at the 2018 Winter Games in Korea. South and in 2020 for the Tokyo Olympics. . The designer has also already linked himself to winter sports through a partnership with Italian and Swiss ski schools.
Source: wwd.com