RLCooling for Team USA: Ralph Lauren Debuts Wearable That Regulates Body Temperature

 

Recognizing Tokyo’s summer heat, Ralph Lauren, the Official Outfitter of Team USA since 2008, sought to develop a solution for Team USA that fuses fashion and function—allowing them to look and feel their best on one of the world’s biggest stages.

@Ralph Lauren

Ralph Lauren unveiled Team USA’s Opening Ceremony Parade Uniform and debuted RL COOLING, a state-of-the-art wearable technology. The technology is a self-regulating temperature cooling device that will be worn by Team USA’s flag bearer during the Olympic and Paralympic Opening Ceremony Parades.

In a statement, Ralph Lauren company said that the innovative system is exclusively available for Team USA at 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

The RL COOLING system is seamlessly integrated into the garment and disperses heat from the wearer’s skin through a sophisticated device that monitors and optimizes temperature and uses the same technology to cool the world’s most advanced computer systems. The effect is a cooling sensation that can be immediately felt and is long-lasting, even in the most oppressive heat.

“Ralph Lauren’s dedication to providing innovative, sustainable and functional outfits for Team USA athletes helps elevate their Games time experience,” said Peter Zeytoonjian, Senior Vice President of Consumer Products at U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Properties (USOPP). “As our Olympic and Paralympic athletes step out on the global stage this summer, we’re proud to have the continued support of a brand whose thoughtful approach to how they can better serve our athletes uniquely benefits Team USA.”

@Ralph Lauren

Ralph Lauren first began exploration in this field with the debut of the Ralph Lauren Heated Jacket at the Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018. Research conducted by Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy, an agency of the United States Department of Energy, suggests that personal thermal management is a portable and localized solution that, if scaled, has the potential to reduce the reliance on mass energy-intensive cooling systems, like HVAC systems, for personal comfort.

Team USA’s 2020 Opening Ceremony Parade Uniform is a classic all-American look that incorporates sustainable materials within each piece. The look includes a navy blazer made from US-grown wool; a striped T-shirt powered by ECOFAST™ Pure, an advanced pre-treatment solution by Dow that enables cotton to be dyed with less water, chemicals and energy; a printed scarf , shoes and a mask made from verified US-grown cotton; a striped belt made from Repreve recycled polyester derived from plastic water bottles; and a slim denim pant with a back patch made from MIRUM, an innovative leather-alternative material made from renewable resources that is free of synthetic plastics. Each item in the uniform is proudly manufactured in the United States.

@Ralph Lauren

The launch of RL COOLING builds on the Company’s work to scale sustainable innovation—most recently Ralph Lauren unveiled Color on Demand, a revolutionary dyeing platform that will transform how the fashion industry colors cotton and announced an investment in Natural Fiber Welding, Inc., a leading sustainable material science that has revolutionized the use and reuse of plant fibers and materials into patented, high-performance materials.

@Ralph Lauren