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Dressing Like an Olympian Comes at a Cost

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Jon Stone

Media Relations Manager

Jon Stone

Ralph Lauren鈥檚 Olympic uniform retails at more than $1,500

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When Team USA walks into the Olympic stadium on Friday night, the athletes will be decked out in red, white and blue thanks to Ralph Lauren. Once again, the high-end fashion designer has partnered with the Olympics to provide the outfit worn during the opening ceremonies. But if you want to dress like an Olympian, be prepared to fork over plenty of cash.

The outfit from head-to-toe carries a total price tag of $1,512.50.

鈥淪ome of the most famous, and soon to be famous, athletes in the world will be wearing this look, so that brand association is powerful,鈥 says听, a marketing professor at 快活app鈥檚听. 鈥淭he USOC and Ralph Lauren are a good match in terms of big brands 鈥 and it is meant to be exclusive.鈥

Here鈥檚 how the Olympic outfit will break down:

Blazer: $695

Shoes: $350

Jeans: $195

Wrist strap: $98

T-shirt: $89.50

Belt: $85

You can purchase it all听online听right now, but just remember, the price tag doesn鈥檛 include any underwear.

鈥淭he $1,500 price tag for that outfit is as much about buying into the Ralph Lauren brand of outdoorsy preppiness as it is about the Olympics,鈥 Kitts says. 鈥淭hat price tag is for people who鈥檇 already buy Ralph Lauren, not necessarily a mass market.鈥

A lot of the generic Olympic gear and merchandise is also hard to afford. However, Olympic organizers in Brazil have found a way around this. They have created a two-tiered pricing system to offer tourists higher-end gear at higher prices, while听Brazilians will be able to buy a low-cost version that is nearly identical.

This new approach to merchandising could help prevent knockoffs from hitting the market. This is an issue that Ralph Lauren faces every two听years. 鈥淭here was a really popular knit ski cap worn by the US Olympians during the Vancouver games that featured some little moose,鈥 Kitts says. 鈥淚t was retailing for more than $75 and sold out almost immediately. Ralph Lauren didn鈥檛 produce more, but there was a substantial market for the same little moose caps that sold at a discount online for about half that price.鈥