Richard Hope and Nivanya Abraham two young and upcoming Trinidad and Tobago designers will be on show at the opening ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic games . Hope and Abraham collaborated to design the opening ceremony outfit that the Trinidad and Tobago Olympic team will wear during the parade of nations . The Olympic stadium in East London will be turned into a catwalk as athletes from various countries parade wearing designs and outfits done by some of the biggest names in the world of fashion.
T&T chef de mission, Annette Knott, explained that the national Olympic committee traditionally opted for a classical blazer and pants ensemble.
" It is a tradition from which we never deviated. The Olympic games opening ceremony outfit was always red jacket and black pants or skirt with the national tie and scarf . I wanted the team to wear something different -a bit more contemporary in cut and look. "
According to Knott, a TTOC vice president, the design concept that the T&T team will wear is based on the fact that when athletes win a medal they usually wrap themselves in their national flag.
"The design seeks to mirror the wrapping of a flag around the athlete. It incorporates the colours of our national flag. The contemporary cut accentuates the silhouette of the athlete- signifying elegance, athleticism, power and confidence . It is designed and made in T&T. the feedback from the athletes have been very positive" said Knott
Jamaica's opening ceremony outfits were designed by Bob Marley's granddaughter Cedella Marley, in collaboration with Puma and will feature the green, gold and black of the Jamaican flag.. Azerbaijan will wear Ermanno Scervino-designed outfits , while Italy's uniforms were designed with input from Georgio Armani and Prada. Stella McCartney designed Team GB's kit. Team USA will sport a Ralph Lauren,design .The four athletes from the tiny republic of San Marino will wear a Salvatore Ferragamo creation . Athletes from 205 countries will parade in the opening ceremony before a sold out crowd of 80,000 inside the olympic Stadium and an estimated worldwide television audience estimated to be in the billions.