The opening of the Winter Olympics is approaching, the clothing of athletes from various countries has become the focus of attention, and it is also a great opportunity for major brands to promote. Nike, Ralph Lauren, Columbia and other clothing companies have designed for the Winter Olympics, both in appearance and creativity are unique.

For fans who don't follow fashion, they may not notice that Team USA's alpine skiing uniforms feature a star-shaped flag inspired by the American flag reflected in the water after McHenry's Second War of Independence with the British 200 years ago. To them, it might just be a skinny-looking ski suit.

But in reality, the process of designing clothes for athletes is so complicated that companies must first bid for the rights to design and produce a design that is both functional and creative, and then spend months turning their ideas into elaborate products that they hope will outperform their competitors and win acclaim.

Some people may wonder why the kaleidoscope of competition clothing is more complicated than other designs. Why do clothing companies need to invest a lot of time, effort and money to create a small number of high-tech racing clothes with a small logo that can't be sold to the public?

The answer is two simple words: brand.

"It's more of a branding tool than a profit," says Jeff Timmins, senior global brand executive at Columbia Sportswear. "We see offering Olympic apparel as a great opportunity for product design and development. "Some of the athletes are some of the coolest kids on the mountain, and getting their feedback is invaluable." Columbia is supplying the freestyle suits for the Canadian, Russian and U.S. teams. The skiers will wear "snow camouflage" patterned trousers with a white background to disguise their movements on the track.

While apparel companies and agencies declined to provide details about the arrangements, in general, companies sponsoring Olympic teams and creating and supplying the suits see it as an opportunity to promote their brands to a global audience and get some of the world's top athletes to wear their clothes, even if only for a short time. "It's a way of branding, marketing, and engaging the fans," said Peter Zetoukian, the USOC's director of operations for consumer products and events.

Negotiations regarding the design and manufacture of the clothing are left to the respective national sports' governing bodies. The U.S. Olympic Committee usually has no objection to the design of the clothing, as long as it follows the relevant IOC rules. These rules, compiled into a 33-page booklet called "Guidelines on Authorized Logos," allow a manufacturer's trademark to be printed on each piece of clothing or equipment. The logo must be printed in a specific location (on the chest or arm) on clothing and no larger than 20 square centimeters, or six square centimeters on equipment. The clothing design must be different from previous Olympic Games, no off-the-shelf clothing can be used, but there are no strict requirements for colors. Countries are encouraged to use the colours of their own flag. Germany's candy-colored stripes at this year's Games are considered an extension of the rules.

Most fashion designers and the clothing companies they work for don't follow the custom. "To be honest, the idea of clothing is counterintuitive," said Greg Godley, chief creative director of Burton, which outfitted the U.S. snowboard team. "Even with the Olympic costumes, they wanted to be different. Their goal is to make a splash with fans, be popular with customers and make competitors jealous. With any luck, the costumes will get a ton of positive attention. Consider the pants for the Norwegian curling team, designed by the American clothing company LOUDMOUTH. The Z-shaped design is a stunning combination of red, white and blue.

For the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Burton created a preppy plaid top and a pair of jeans that looked faded and ripped, but were actually high-tech ski pants. This year, their theme is heirloom hippie, and Burton found a quilt at the Brimfield Antiques Market, re-sewn it, and used it as a top print. Adorn the sleeves with an old faded flag pattern. Usoc officials can't revoke the right to design a costume because of its exotic style. Burton, which is designing for the Winter Olympics for the third time, wanted to exceed expectations.

In addition to looks, the clothing company also wanted to incorporate technological advantages into the clothing, from elbow splicing to waterproof zippers. There is also a lot of focus on clothing weight, ventilation performance, and streamlined design.

The interior design creativity is also a big competition, Nike says that each hockey uniform of Team USA is made from 17 recycled plastic bottles, and five socks.

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