Cedella Marley, junto a Usain Bolt, presentó la vestimenta PUMA de Jamaica (Photo credit: sitemarca)
The comments in the title are not mine, they are two of the hundreds that have been made about the Jamaican Olympic outfits in the past few days.
I’m wading into dangerous waters here, not being a fashionista! Not even close. So let me hasten to say this is more about the reactions to the designs done by Cedella Marley (yes, Bob’s daughter) for the Jamaican Olympic team, than the designs themselves.
I can’t remember there EVER being this kind of reaction to an Olympic outfit. In fact, I was hard pressed to remember what any Olympic outfit has ever looked like, until an Olympian posted that she liked these a lot better than the yellow blazers they always used to wear at the opening ceremonies (very hazy picture in my mind now of said yellow blazers)
There has been an outpouring of negative reaction to the photo of track star Usain Bolt in a pair of yellow trousers, trimmed with black, coupled with a green top also trimmed with black, as he stands beside a female model in a print skirt with indecipherable yellow designs (leaves? crayfish?) on a black background, and a black top with green trimmings. Hey, don’t knock my descriptions! I told you I’m not a fashionista. Let me just show you the picture.
The comments have been overwhelmingly negative. Here’s a tiny, tiny sample.
“Future style! Think Star Trek! Come on folks, going where no country has gone before!”
“Looking too futuristic. Does not reflect Jamaica. Not saying I hate it, but I don’t like it, especially for Jamaica 50.”
“It makes Usain look like an overgrown schoolboy from Mars, accompanied by a female prison warder from Pluto.”
‘Mi nuh like it! I really don’t think it truly represents the vibrant spirit and unique persona of the Jamaican team. It really appears to be a space age police uniform”
Some people do like them, saying they are “fashion forward” and in line with the current “colour blocking craze” and ”military style” (comments from conversations I’ve had with fans of the outfits who say that the critcs just don’t know style. Maybe they’re right.
After all, the fashion folks at the Huffington Post loved them, raving about the “fabulous new uniforms designed by Cedella Marley” and unequivocally stating that:
“…while the sleek uniforms were created with optimal performance and comfort in mind, they are super stylish to boot. We’re loving the flashy prints, flattering silhouettes and saturated Jamaican flag colors represented in every piece.”
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/06/14/cedella-marley-jamaica-olympic-uniforms_n_1597152.html
By the way, that story also has a slide show of the entire collection, so you may want to check it out if you haven’t seen it yet.
And some Jamaicans like them as well. There are also comments like this, albeit much fewer:
“You know what, they are cute, picture them walking in with our flag at the opening ceremony, we will stand out!”
But why do we care?
Well, in case people haven’t noticed, Jamaicans have become fiercely interested in our track and field athletes in particular, since the super success of the past decade. Many more Jamaicans are now following track and field, debating Asafa’s performance as I said in my post here, following Usain’s personal life as I commented on here, and feel tremendously buoyed by our successes on the international scene.
This is to be welcomed, of course. It’s good for the sport, it’s good for the country, and it’s (usually) good for the athletes. I can remember thinking in years gone by that I would like to see athletes endorsing products instead of models. Now we see images of our athletes everywhere.
But you can’t have it both ways. That level of interest will apply to everything related to track and field. That includes uniforms the fashionistas say are cutting edge, but many Jamaicans just see as ugly. I know we are also sending athletes to the Olympics in taekwondo, the equestrian events, and swimming, but I doubt there would have been this much interest over what our equestrian athlete was going to wear (no offence!)
And we’re an outspoken people. If we don’t like it, we’re going to say things like:
“I think these are the worst designs of all time. These nuh mek it at all.”
Would it be better if we all decided to throw our weight behind the designs, like them or not? I don’t think so. Chalk it up to my profession, but I’m big on freedom of speech and spirited debate. If we don’t let it be known when we think things aren’t being done right, there won’t be any change next time.
I’ve heard people asking what the athletes think. I haven’t heard yet, but you know what? Even if all the athletes came out en masse and said they love the designs, this is not just about them. They are there representing Jamaica. This may be a little uncomfortable for Ms. Marley and the folks at Puma, but it’s our national team, We have a right to voice our opinion. And we certainly are doing so!
So what do you think? Do you like the designs?
Related articles
- Usain Bolt unveils Jamaica’s Olympics kit designed by Bob Marley’s daughter (guardian.co.uk)
- Puma pins Olympic hopes on Bolt to speed sport sales (telegraph.co.uk)
My views on our outfits as a Fashion blogger, is that they are nothing special. Yes, colour blocking are on trend and so are military jackets, and if we were to judge them for being on trend they would receive gold stars all around.
The silhouettes are not flattering. Combining an A-Line skirt with a military jacket, does not make for a cohesive look. From the waist up she looks like she’s going to war, while the rest looks just right for a garden party. The individual pieces themselves (for the women) are not horrible, the combination is what makes it a fashion DON’T. The jacket should be more tailored and well fitting, cut a little shorter and paired with a tailored pant or a pencil skirt. Even opening up the jacket and introducing another layer underneath would help. This skirt and jacket duo is not flattering on the female body and makes her look shapeless.
As for Usain’s, this does not look like a grown man’s outfit. If this were a regular outfit he wore out, many would say he was not dressed age appropriately. The military jacket in the female uniform would have been better for Usain.
Overall, I am disappointed because I think these uniforms almost made it, but missed the mark.
Thanks for adding an expert opinion!
Dionne I have commented elsewhere that I don’t like the uniform. Having seen the entire collection I now realize that it’s that ﾞcrayfishﾞ design on the A-line skirt that really irks me. It just looks weird. Surprisingly, that pattern looks better on the leggings in the collection. It is fitting to wear track side just before a race. I also agree with the first comment that the A-line skirt paired with the hip-length military jacket sends a mixed message. ﾞI’m going to war but they may be serving tea.ﾞ Anyway, here is hoping that the clothes will look good on camera at the opening ceremony and that our athletes will win the war on the track!
Dionne, I fully agree with the comments of mrkmarker. The military concept had the potential to be new and exciting but the execution is just not attractive. The colour combinations do not flatter the two models and even the female model’s hairstyle is wrong.
Reblogged this on THE ISLAND JOURNAL and commented:
The comments in the title are not mine, they are two of the hundreds that have been made about the Jamaican Olympic outfits in the past few days.
I’m wading into dangerous waters here, not being a fashionista! Not even close. So let me hasten to say this is more about the reactions to the designs done by Cedella Marley (yes, Bob’s daughter) for the Jamaican Olympic team, than the designs themselves.
I can’t remember there EVER being this kind of reaction to an Olympic outfit. In fact, I was hard pressed to remember what any Olympic outfit has ever looked like, until an Olympian posted that she liked these a lot better than the yellow blazers they always used to wear at the opening ceremonies (very hazy picture in my mind now of said yellow blazers)
There has been an outpouring of negative reaction to the photo of track star Usain Bolt in a pair of yellow trousers, trimmed with black, coupled with a green top also trimmed with black, as he stands beside a female model in a print skirt with indecipherable yellow designs (leaves? crayfish?) on a black background, and a black top with green trimmings. Hey, don’t knock my descriptions! I told you I’m not a fashionista. Let me just show you the picture.
Yes, it’s good to have an expert! I didn’t realize the military look is “on trend.” I agreed with one comment that they look like security guards, and Stalin would indeed be proud! As a non-fashionista like you, I think they are awful, and inappropriate. Why do we need to look as if we are going to war? I can think of some great Jamaican designers who would have done a much better job – no offense intended against Ms. Marley, I am sure she is very nice, but she has got this terribly wrong… Surely the “Buffalo Soldier look” is old hat? Oh well – as you say Dionne, this discussion shows that we DO care!
I have taken several days to think and ponder before responding to the somewhat ghastly but interesting outfits. Days later I think it has grown on me. If our athletes wear them proudly and boldly they will look amazing. My first impression was that they reminded me of something a rural area youth club would have gotten made by Ms. Puncy with limited funds. Either they have grown on me or I really am trying to be positive for our athletes while they parade in front of the world in a few weeks.
I believe the outfits are fabulously stylish and will look great on the atletes. It is not a collection for entire country, but I believe it represents the country well. They are clearly Jamaican, and are easily reconisable as such. Remember people, it is for the occassion and for the athletes in 2012.
I agree with you, Dionne, that we must always encourage “freedom of speech” and “spirited debate,” as they are the cornerstone of any democratic society. However, I find it interesting that we are so critical and vociferous when it comes to the “small issues,” yet when it comes to the ones that matter, we seem almost uninterested. If Jamaicans expressed as much dissatisfaction with our leaders and the way that they run our country as with the outfits, we would be a much more prosperous nation. Sometimes I feel that we complain to the point that we seem ungrateful; we complain to the point that nothing seems good enough.
Regarding the outfits, they are trendy and appropriate for our young athletes. One of your interviewees mentioned that the athletes look as if they were going to war. Well, in a way, they are. That is the mindset that they have to have in order to compete at that level. The problem with the yellow pants that Usain is wearing is that it does not fit well. That can be fixed. We have to remember that these outfits are meant for the opening ceremony and the track. No one is suggesting that they ought to be worn outside of that context, though I would rock the military jacket in a heartbeat. Also, it is always tough for designers to make stylish sporting outfits. So, as far as Olympic outfits go, they are perfectly fine. Finally, If most people think the Jamaican outfits are “ugly,” what would they say about the American ones?
Well, I guess we should all stop “complaining” then. There is nothing wrong with criticism – and we criticize our political leaders all the time. The Americans are unhappy with their outfits, but we are talking about the Jamaican kit aren’t we, so that is irrelevant.
It’s not usually noted that “fashion” is different from “style”. As I see it, the “outfits” shown are just a presentation of the pieces that Cedella designed. They do not necessarily have to be worn as shown. She fashioned the pieces and now it’s time to style them.
The green shirt and skinny tie do not go well with the yellow pants, but the shirt would do well with black Puma slacks. Right?
I think the commentary is too harsh and to quell the drama, the athletes shouldn’t wear that outfits “right off the catwalk”. They should mix, match, shift around and find appropriate and flattering combinations. It’s not impossible for the pieces to look good. We just need to look beyond the pieces and rearrange the puzzle to our/their liking.
I also think the military jacket is very well done. Much much better than Russia’s red and white squiggly patterned track jacket.
The issue of combinations and mixing and matching doesn’t apply to the opening and closing ceremony though, which is mainly what people are talking about. The team has to look, well, uniform.
This is no fashion statement, the outfits look tacky and cheap. it does not represent Jamaica in any way whatsoever.” Cedella – come on you know sey you nuh done cause if you are den u nuh ready, tell dem d truth u neva did finish”
According to a time magazine poll 63 percent of reading ranked the Jamaican Olympic uniform as one of the best. Time magazine also ranked Jamaican Olympic Uniform as one of the best along with a few others countries uniform…btw time magazine ranked the USA Olympic team uniform as one of the worst along with Australia and a few others.
Thanks, I saw that. But as I said elsewhere, I should think Jamaicans still have the right to say the uniforms are ugly if that’s we think, regardless of what Time readers say.
What do the JAMAICANS say now. Funny thing is Cedella Marley made it very clear the Collection motto was ” Out Of Many One People”.For the very first time in HISTORY the Jamaican team got to choose what they wanted to wear using a style guide.Pure Genius ! She has vision as a designer and she was spot on with her Collection. Jamaicans should be very proud today.
hey thanks for stopping by and taking the time to comment. As I said, some people liked the designs, some didn’t, many hated one or two of the pieces, I’m not sure why it’s so hard for people to accept that some people did not like them, or some of them. And personally, if I don’t like something, your telling me that one million other people liked it is neither here nor there.