What was the inspiration behind the adidas collections for Milano Cortina 2026? An interview with Jacqueline King, the kits' Design Director
Not only the 2026 World Cup. adidas is also ready for the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games. The brand has presented the collections and the team kits dedicated to the national teams branded with the three stripes that will take part in the event. More than 700 garments that will be worn on all official occasions: from the opening ceremony to the competitions, from the podium presentations to the gatherings inside the Olympic Village.
"The biggest challenge - explains Jacqueline King, Design Director of adidas national kits for Milano Cortina 2026 - was creating a collection that feels globally unified while still being deeply personal to each nation. We needed to respect national identity through symbols, color palettes, and cultural markers, while also ensuring everything ladders up to one shared creative story. At the same time, these pieces are high-performance products built for elite winter sport, so every aesthetic decision had to work in harmony with function and athlete comfort. Balancing all of that in one system was complex, but incredibly rewarding".
To capture each nation’s identity, all collections feature prints that combine key distinctive elements, including national symbols, flags and typefaces, in order to create country-specific patterns. "We wanted one visual language that connected every nation, and the repeated line graphics became that thread - King continues - . They represent the energy, focus, and determination that athletes bring to the biggest stage in sport. From that starting point, each country’s version evolves by blending its flag, typeface, and insignias into a unique pattern. The result is one shared story told in distinctly national expressions."
The collections
The collection dedicated to Germany, for example, is characterised by a capital D placed elegantly inside the logo or printed on t-shirts in gold, fleeces in red and windbreakers in black. For Poland, King opted for the Orzeł biały, that is the white eagle which appears on the country’s official emblem. Depending on the background color, the eagle has been rendered in metallic silver, red or ash gray.
However, the most surprising apparel is the one made for Great Britain, with race suits featuring bold patterns for ice speed disciplines, comfortable hoodies paired with baggy pants for freestyle skiing, snowboard suits that convey a sense of comfort and functionality, and windbreakers and ski pants that do not forget style. The line is completed by modern-design sunglasses, fleeces and caps.
"Performance always comes first, especially in winter sports where conditions can be unpredictable and demanding - King emphasizes, explaining the challenges she faced in merging fashion and functionality -. We worked closely with athletes to understand how garments needed to perform in motion, in cold, and under pressure. Using advanced materials like waterproof and breathable Primeknit, and carefully placed insulation, we ensured athletes could move freely and stay protected. Once performance was right, we focused on expressing British identity through bold colours and graphic elements. It was a challenge, but technical precision and strong visual storytelling can absolutely enhance one another when the process is athlete-led."
