Ralph Lauren is doubling down on wearable tech with its official 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics uniform for Team USA. “Trying to come up with technology that’s wearable has to be about what the customer wants and needs,” David Lauren, Chief Innovation Officer at Ralph Lauren told Cheddar. “It really depends on who that customer is. This is a customer that’s walking in cold weather. We couldn’t decide what the temperature was going to be. Do you do a layering system? So technology just married perfectly with the need of the consumer.” Ralph Lauren has been making uniforms for American Olympians since 2008. For the summer games in Rio in 2016, the company made a light-up jacket sported by then-flag bearer Michael Phelps. This time around, Ralph Lauren chose to go with an insulated bomber jacket that keeps people warm for 11 hours, thanks to a heat-conducting ink. Its temperature is also adjustable by smartphone. Lauren says the use of technology fits into the image the company -- and the team -- is trying to project in South Korea. “When the U.S. team walks out of the opening ceremonies, we want them to feel like they’re representing our country,” he said. “And what is our country about? About leadership, about innovation, looking to the future. So there’s always symbolism in everything that the athletes feel and do out there. They’re on a global stage, and this is the stage for America, and how they look and feel is part of it.” For full interview [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/ralph-lauren-unveils-2018-olympic-ceremony-uniforms-for-team-usa).

Share:
More In Business
Is U.S. Restaurants’ Breakfast Boom Contributing to High Egg Prices?
It’s a chicken-and-egg problem: Restaurants are struggling with record-high U.S. egg prices, but their omelets, scrambles and huevos rancheros may be part of the problem. Breakfast is booming at U.S. eateries. First Watch, a restaurant chain that serves breakfast, brunch and lunch, nearly quadrupled its locations over the past decade to 570. Fast-food chains like Starbucks and Wendy's added more egg-filled breakfast items. In normal times, egg producers could meet the demand. But a bird flu outbreak that has forced them to slaughter their flocks is making supplies scarcer and pushing up prices. Some restaurants like Waffle House have added a surcharge to offset their costs.
Trump Administration Shutters Consumer Protection Agency
The Trump administration has ordered the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to stop nearly all its work, effectively shutting down the agency that was created to protect consumers after the 2008 financial crisis and subprime mortgage-lending scandal. Russell Vought is the newly installed director of the Office of Management and Budget. Vought directed the CFPB in a Saturday night email to stop work on proposed rules, to suspend the effective dates on any rules that were finalized but not yet effective, and to stop investigative work and not begin any new investigations. The agency has been a target of conservatives since President Barack Obama created it following the 2007-2008 financial crisis.
Load More