American Burton Olympic Design

WWD Issue 12/04/2013

NEW YORK — When the 2014 Winter Olympics take place in Sochi, Russia, Feb. 7 to 23, the U.S. snowboarding team will be sporting Burton. The Vermont-based brand unveiled the original men’s and women’s designs at its flagship here Tuesday night.

Chief creative officer Greg Dacyshyn said the project had been in

the works for more than 18 months, beginning with a roundtable of riders to start a dialogue. “Snowboarding is such an individual sport,” he noted. “It’s all about self-expression and irreverence, so the idea of a uniform is sort of counterintuitive. My goal was to create something different that the riders could feel good in, be protected in, yet still be unique.”Dacyshyn’s first stop was the Brimfield Antique and Collectibles Show in Brimfield, Mass., where he sorted through the nearly 6,000 dealers to score a large patchwork quilt with a decidedly Americana feel to it, as well as a vintage American flag. Dacyshyn sent his finds to the grandmother of a Burton employee who is an avid quilter, requesting she disassemble and rearrange the patches to his liking. The finished product was then dye sublimation printed onto nylon featuring a breathable laminate coating called Dryride that will keep riders dry amid the unpredictable conditions. “We also made the marker large enough so the pattern would be slightly different on each jacket, with only the flag in the same spot on the sleeve for all of them,” he said.The competition uniform is comprised of the nylon jacket; a wool, polyester and nylon fleece crewneck; a polyester Henley; polyester pants that resemble corduroy; a selection of hats, and waterproof cowhide gloves or mittens. For the village there is an additional down jacket.While the uniforms won’t be available for purchase, a small capsule of hoodies, T-shirts and accessories featuring prints and artwork inspired by the Olympic styles, will be sold in Burton flagships.

This design took 18 months to create and accomplish. “Snowboarding

is such an individual sport,” he noted. “It’s all about self-expression and irreverence, so the idea of a uniform is sort of counterintuitive.Greg Dacyshyn His goal was to create something that can be individual and different for each rider. This is something that I do admire about the work done by Burton, always.

Expression and difference is always something that is a key point when creating.

After searching through thousands of flag designs, Greg found the perfect vintage style American flag to be used for the design and the boarders. Well-done Burton!

Good luck America!