Stéphane Ashpool’s been around the block a few times: he founded Pigalle in 2008 and has also worked with the likes of Nike, Missoni, VanMoof and more in cultivating the label’s sports-leaning persona. Deriving its name from the Parisian neighborhood, Pigalle leans into the popular district’s multicultural, multi-dimensional and multi-class spirit. From clothes to fashion shows and even building global basketball courts, the brand has harmonized community and culture. But even with the extent of his layered experience, Ashpool received his biggest task yet when he was enlisted to design the French national team’s uniforms for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. Even though maneuvering into uniform design was uncharted territory for the designer, the process was not as drastically different from Ashpool’s design day job as you might imagine.
Ashpool first received a call from the Olympic Committee in 2021, and shortly thereafter began working with Le Coq Sportif, the French team’s official equipment supplier. The Olympic-sized task was first about acknowledgment and comprehension: Ashpool needed to understand the roster of sports to design for, their specific regulations, quantity and capacity. Capacity, specifically, was a large hill to climb given the sporting apparel technology available in Europe. Although France is known for its artisanal craftsmanship and couture heritage, when it comes to technical athletic apparel design, Asian countries soar given their access to the latest garment production technology. So Ashpool had to work with what was available in France to produce a range of uniforms that span track, cycling, judo, gymnastics, swimming, archery, skateboarding, fencing and more. “The proudness behind this job was to find a way with Le Coq Sportif to produce mainly locally,” said Ashpool. “It was a great challenge.”
Once some of the production parameters were in order, Ashpool’s process of designing was similar to how he orients collections for Pigalle – working in his studio with a free approach. But alongside this strategy, Ashpool started with the themes he wanted to convey alongside tapping into his network for what’s needed to execute the vision. Thematically, conveying a sense of French pride was a core driver in crafting the garments. Like most Olympic uniforms, the designs implore the colors of the respective country’s flag. Even though this tactic remained consistent with Ashpool, the creative refreshed the waving symbol by using off-white as the team’s main color and working with gradients for the hues of blue and red. He bridged elegant notes with sportswear flare via off-white tones, double yarns and shiny matte yarns, alongside breaking up the traditional flag design with new gradient hues and pop tones.
“I think the technique is always joining forces with the aesthetic. This time, more than usual,” said Ashpool. “Technicity can be as simple as how we manage to have a stretch fabric with feathers. It’s not just the meaning of having a dry fit.”
The other integral part of designing was using local entities and vendors to bring the pieces to life. For example, the gymnastics uniform reveals an ornate one-arm design featuring feathers across the bodice and rhinestone-crystal embroidery throughout the garment. But to exhibit textured design details that remain secure to the garment and functional for sports performance, Ashpool worked with Chanel-owned ateliers.
Although design conceptualization followed the same format for Ashpool, the added difficulty came with creating various sports garments. It’s unlike a t-shirt or a pair of pants where the usage remains the same. With the variety of sports, the uniforms are required to perform in, Ashpool and the team at Le Coq Sportif had to ensure that the designs aligned with the specific performance demands. Whether it be breathability in a cycling costume or flexibility for a gymnastics one, being adaptable and learning various fabric applications was an added challenge. “But in terms of cohesion and telling a story that can be spread across many items, it’s not that different from creating a collection.”
Ashpool’s work for the French national team showcases a bubbling shift in Olympic sportswear design that looks to smaller, albeit popular names just as much as it does large, established houses ( Telfar’s work for Liberia’s Olympic team in 2020 is another example). So with the Paris Olympics on the horizon and Los Angeles taking the stage in 2028, it’s exciting to see what may come from Olympic fashion in the near future.
But through it all, the creativity of designing something completely new despite the few challenges alongside an exhibition of pride was the highlight for Ashpool. “The proudest most of the job was having a feeling of responsibility towards my country. Designing these uniforms isn’t just about creating something cool and fashionable, but something that’s going to last forever.”