To celebrate the 2008 Olympics, Lane Crawford, the Chinese luxury retailer, commissioned 12 fashion designers to each design a uniform for their favorite sport. All 12 designs, called “The Collective: Synergy in Fashion,” will be displayed for two weeks at Beijing’s Today Art Museum as part of its “Fashion in Motion” exhibition, then displayed at Lane Crawford in Beijing.Below are some beautiful photos by Chad Pittman for the New York Times Magazine that I put beneath some of the designer's sketches of the initial concepts. Following those are more sketches, courtesy of Lane Crawford.Above: Riccardo Tisci for Givenchy sketch - Archery (leather clad)Above: Givenchy - ArcheryAbove: Stella McCartney sketch - Equestrian (billowing blouse over jodhpurs)Above: Stella McCartney - EquestrianAbove: Alexander McQueen's sketch- Fencing (to be embroidered in India with little mirrors)Above: Alexander McQueen - FencingAbove: Matthew Williamson for Emilio Pucci sketch (based on the winter 2008 Pucci collection)Above: Pucci - GymnasticsAbove: Stefano Pilati for YSL sketch -Track & Field (notice how the belt becomes the necklace in the shot below)Above: Yves St. Laurent - Track & FieldAll 12 designs, called “The Collective: Synergy in Fashion,” are to be displayed for two weeks at Beijing’s Today Art Museum as part of its “Fashion in Motion” exhibition, then it will also be be displayed at Lane Crawford Beijing during July and August.Above: Christopher Bailey for Burberry - Sailing (Prosum jacket in leather with classic Burburry hardware)Above: Martin Margiela - badminton (those are over 100 plastic and feathered shuttlecocks!)Above: Alberta Feretti - GymnasticsAbove: 3.1 Philip Lim - Table tennis (also known as ping pong)Above: Costume National's baseball outfit design by Ennio CapasaAbove: Rick Owens- Judo ensembleAbove: Neil Barrett's vision for fencing (jersey knit pants with sheer blouses)After the exhibition, the pieces will then be auctioned off with all proceeds benefiting UNICEF’s Special Relief Funds for Children affected by the Sichuan earthquake. Participating designers/brands include 3.1 Phillip Lim, Alberta Ferretti, Alexander McQueen, Burberry Prorsum, Martin Margiela, Stella McCartney, Costume National, Givenchy, Neil Barrett, Raf Simons, Yves Saint Laurent and Rick Owens.
