With 100 days to go until the Olympic Games begin in Rio de Janeiro, what better way to kick off the official countdown than with the unveiling of Great Britain's team kit. While our athletes have been hard at work, training with coaches, nutritionists and physios, Stella McCartney has also been hard at work, developing the uniform for this year's Olympians.
The much-loved Brit designer continues as creative director for Team GB's uniform as part of her decade-long collaboration with adidas, and we're just as enamoured with her latest collaboration designs as we have been for the past ten years. When Olympic mania swept the nation almost four years ago, McCartney's replica kits swiftly sold out, so it's no wonder that she's returned to the role.
This morning the team of athletes, fronted by Jessica Ennis-Hill and Tom Daley (in itsy-bitsy trunks) gathered at the Seymour Leisure Centre in central London alongside Stella McCartney for the big reveal of the latest kit. The streamlined, blue, white and red kit perfectly modelled by the sports men and women features a new crest that fuses the iconic lions with the letters GB.
Stella McCartney explained that: "The goal for Rio 2016 was to rewrite the rules of performance and design for athletes, allowing them to look and feel like champions on and off the field. The inspiration behind the design was this idea of contrasting British tradition with a modern attitude. The new Coat Of Arms, specially commissioned for this project, and traditional Union Flag hues sit alongside bold textures and modern silhouettes to create a strong identity and make the athletes feel like a team."
Olympic Heptathlon champion Jessica Ennis-Hill added: "It's amazing to see how the kit has developed. It's really special, comfortable and I feel amazing in it. I'll be competing for two days out in the heat for a long time so need kit that can adapt to all weather." We've been eagerly awaiting the Olympics for some time but today's unveiling of the kit has ramped up our excitement levels significantly. Stella strikes gold again.