While the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics shines the spotlight on sports and athletic excellence, the Games also serve as a global platform for cultural expression as countries worldwide unite. With more than 3,500 athletes representing 93 countries, the Milano Cortina opening ceremony’s Parade of Nations became the perfect runway to showcase outfits that best represent their homeland’s heritage.
From the dashing Americana of Team USA by Ralph Lauren to Team Haiti’s politically charged design by Stella Jean – so provocative it required a last-minute revision– here are some of the best 2026 Winter Olympics outfits spotted at the opening ceremony.
Team Mongolia
Team Mongolia paid homage to the Great Mongol Empire, drawing inspiration from the 13th and 15th centuries – a time when a centuries-old garment called the deel was commonly worn by the nomadic people. The result is a gorgeous reinterpretation of the silhouette for a fitting modern-day uniform, and who better to have done it than Mongolian heritage brand, Goyol Cashmere. The label, after all, takes pride as one of the largest raw cashmere exporters in the world.
The design channelled the Mongolian “warrior spirit”, referencing centuries of endurance against the brutal winters of the Central Asian highlands. Additional signature elements preserved from the traditional garment include the functional skirt slit, a raised collar, and a fully overlapping front. The latter is elegantly finished with silk trimming and embroidered with traditional horn motifs.
Team Canada
For Team Canada, Lululemon collaborated with the nation’s top athletes, including hockey player Sidney Crosby, to create a functional yet stylish uniform. The athleisure brand overlaid North America’s map with a colour palette of topographic deep red hues and iceberg-inspired blues. “(It’s) the brightest red we could chemically do on our fabric,” joked Catherine Lebrun, Lululemon’s design director. Meanwhile, Canada’s emblem, the maple leaf, makes an appearance on the front of the oversized maroon quilted vest. The additional useful features include adaptive footwear, Braille characters, and magnetic zippers.
Team Italy
Taking pride as a fashion-forward country, it was no surprise that Emporio Armani, a luxury brand rooted in ready-to-wear and technical apparel, was the host nation’s official outfitter. This year marks Armani’s fourth Winter Olympics uniform for Team Italia, resulting in an outfit that looks sleek and high fashion, a parallel with the country’s reputation for style. The zip-up tracksuit features a high knit collar accented in red, green, and white, an understated nod to the national flag.
Team Haiti
While other countries played it safe, Team Haiti decided to take this opportunity to make a political statement as well as pay a tribute to its embattled colonial history. The garment, made by an Italian-Haitian fashion designer named Stella Jean, portrayed Toussaint Louverture astride a red horse. Louverture was a former slave who led the Haitian Revolution that created the world’s first Black republic in 1804.
The imagery’s radicality led to the IOC citing Olympic rules prohibiting political symbolism. Thus, Jean had to paint over the nation’s founding father, leaving behind Louverture’s charging steed against a lush tropical backdrop and azure sky.
Team USA
As Team USA’s Olympic apparel designer since 2008, Ralph Lauren channelled the cosy Americana for the Olympians. The uniform is naturally red, white, and blue in colour, exemplified by the knitted American flag and Olympic rings motifs. There are even matching tasselled hats and mittens. The wool turtleneck sweater and tailored wool trousers deliver a clean and patriotic look, with pieces that can fit in any winter wardrobe. Plus, they are all proudly manufactured in the United States.
Team Brazil
Brazilian athletes stunned the crowd during the opening ceremony when flagbearers Lucas Pinheiro Braathen and Nicole Silveira opened their white puffer capes to reveal an intarsia Brazilian flag on the inner lining. Created by Moncler, in collaboration with Brazilian designer Oskar Metsavaht, the outfit fuses Brazil’s creative spirit with the brand’s alpine heritage. “This moment marks a defining peak in the brand’s ongoing evolution, a return to the pinnacle of winter sports for the first time since Moncler outfitted the triumphant French ski team in Grenoble in 1968,” said Moncler.
Team Great Britain
Ben Sherman opted for a functional Olympic collection with a timeless design that extends beyond the Games. The jacket is a wool-blend knitwear, centred with a Union Flag motif and striped accents that give the relaxed zip-up a refined look. Ben Sherman, who has now created Team Great Britain’s ceremonial looks for four consecutive Games, stated that each element combines warmth and detailing, reflecting the timeless British aesthetic. Five-time Olympic medalist Tom Daley also reportedly hand-knitted the scarves and winter hats for the flag bearers to use at the opening and, later, closing ceremonies.
Team Norway
Dale of Norway has been making Olympic sweaters since 1956, and the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympics brought the label back to where it all started. The half-zip knitwear is made from high-quality Norwegian wool, featuring classic Nordic geometric patterns, as both a meaningful and stylish design for everyday wear.
Team New Zealand
Team New Zealand’s official outfitter, Kathmandu, designed a black jacket that features a silver fern on the back with a QR code woven inside. “Scanning the code will connect them to a digital platform filled with messages of support from New Zealanders and fans around the world, reminding them that the team of five million is right there with them on their journey,” the New Zealand Olympic Committee announced.
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