Dressmaker Ralph Lauren Promises 2014 US Olympic Opening Ceremony Outfits will be American-made

Dressmaker Ralph Lauren Promises 2014 US Olympic Opening Ceremony Outfits will be American-made

After a fiery controversy and contempt erupted when it was discovered that Ralph Lauren's U.S. Opening Ceremony outfits were manufactured in China, the clothing company announced the outfits for the 2014 Olympics in Sochi would be American-made.  Many say, it’s rather too late for that.  The damage has been done.

Ralph Lauren released this statement:

“For more than 45 years Ralph Lauren has built a brand that embodies the best of American quality and design rooted in the rich heritage of our country. We are honored to continue our longstanding relationship with the United States Olympic Committee in the 2014 Olympic Games by serving as an Official Outfitter of the US Olympic and Paralympic teams. Ralph Lauren promises to lead the conversation within our industry and our government to address the issue to increase manufacturing in the United States. We have committed to producing the Opening and Closing Ceremony Team USA uniforms in the United States that will be worn for the 2014 Olympic Games.”

The clothing company released the statement after members of the Congress threatened to burn the China-made uniforms, which is a shameful thing. The U.S. Olympic Committee CEO Scott Blackmun also released a statement.

“We take seriously the concerns we've heard from members of Congress and the American public regarding the U.S. Olympic Team's Opening and Closing Ceremonies uniforms.

With athletes having already arrived in London, and the apparel distribution process beginning this weekend, we are unfortunately not able to make a change for London. We are absolutely committed; however, to working with our sponsors to ensure that the concerns voiced are addressed. To that end, Ralph Lauren has agreed to domestically manufacture Team USA's apparel for Opening and Closing Ceremonies for the 2014 Olympic Winter Games.”

Considering that there are more than 400 athletes, changing the outfits now would be a logistical nightmare and impractical, thus, this issue should be out aside for now.

This should be a “wake up” call to the Congress and everyone else complaining about the issue. Anyone spending time and anger on this subject should take a minute to think about when they last purchased something based on where the item was made.   Surprisingly, many of which are made in China.

Posted by Andre Monohan on Sunday July 15 2012, 3:35 AM EST. Ref: Google. All trademarks acknowledged. Filed under Featured News. Comments and Trackbacks closed. Follow responses: RSS 2.0