Outrage Over Ralph Lauren's 'Made in China' Team USA Olympic Uniforms

By Lauren Frankfort on July 13, 2012 

Just a few days after Ralph Lauren released the official images of Team USA’s Olympic Opening Ceremony uniform, the brand has suffered an outburst of public and political rage over the fact that every piece is manufactured in China. 

USA Today reports that Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nevada, told the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) they should be ashamed, and that “they should take all the uniforms, put them in a big pile and burn them,” Reid said.

Designer Nanette Lepore, who manufactures her entire collection in the US, chimed in her disappointment to both ABC News and CNN.

“It’s very disturbing because it completely could have been manufactured here in the United States in New York City or in any other city where there’s factories that still exist,” she told CNN. “And it’s frustrating for us because it’s a cause we’ve been fighting for, and we’ve been trying to raise awareness and trying to convince designers to move work back to our shores and stop off-shoring and start on-shoring… This would have been the perfect opportunity.”

Rep. Steve Israel, D-New York, said there was enough time for Ralph Lauren to manufacture the uniforms in the United States. 

“We’re not asking (Ralph Lauren) to do this simply out of American patriotism, although this is a matter of pride. We’re asking them to do it as a matter of economic strategy,” Israel said.

ABC News, which broke the story, reported that the USOC replied in a statement: “We’re proud of our partnership with Ralph Lauren, an iconic American company.”

In a similar vein, USOC spokesperson Patrick Sandusky tweeted yesterday, “All this talk about Olympic uniforms made in China is non sense. Polo RL is an American company that supports American athletes.”

Here is the rest of the ABC News report: