Five team USA gymnasts wearing their red, white, and blue uniforms

Meet the Alum Outfitting the Gymnasts of Team USA

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Now on her third Olympics, Jeanne Douglass Diaz ’10 is one of the creative minds behind the women’s patriotic, blinged-out uniforms

By Beth Saulnier

It was as though a very merry Christmas—or perhaps un très joyeux Noël—had come in July. With the image of a glittering Eiffel Tower as their backdrop, seven young women stand behind a line of festive red boxes, whose tags declare that their contents were “made exclusively for” each one of them by name.

In unison, they pull open the gold-ribboned closures—and their faces light up. Inside each box is a set of eight uniforms—shimmering in various combinations of red, white, and blue—that these elite gymnasts will wear to represent Team USA at this summer’s Olympic Games in Paris.

“I’m obsessed with the stars and the patriotism,” marvels four-time gold medalist Simone Biles, amid her teammates’ happy shrieks.

Later broadcast on the "Today" show, the unboxing was an unforgettable moment for the gymnasts—and also for Jeanne Douglass Diaz ’10.

Jeanne Diaz in her office at GK Elite
Diaz in her office at GK Elite.

As the design director for GK Elite Sportswear, the Human Ecology alum spearheaded creation of the uniforms—arguably the most prominent such gig in the athletic world.

After all, women’s gymnastics is the most popular sport at any summer Olympics. This one will be held in the global capital of haute couture—where all eyes will be on superstar Biles and her teammates.

“For a designer, it’s a dream,” says Diaz. “This was such a great opportunity to showcase our range. How do we merge two things—Parisian fashion and iconic Americana—that are so different? I think we did a great job mixing the two themes.”

For a designer, it’s a dream. This was such a great opportunity to showcase our range.

When the uniforms were revealed in mid-July, they quickly made headlines for their eye-popping luminescence.

Each of the eight designs features thousands of tiny, glittering Swarovski crystals; the one for the team final, dubbed “Go for Glory,” bears a whopping 9,929.

As Diaz explains, the crystals are placed via computer-aided design—and for the record, each athlete will sport a cumulative total of around 47,000 of the tiny baubles.

A blue gymnastics uniform with crystal decoration
A red gymnastics uniform with crystal decoration
A black gymnastics uniform with stars and crystal decoration
The leotards offer varied twists on their star-spangled theme.

Given that the wearers will be defying gravity on the world stage, durability is essential: the crystals are firmly attached to the fabric through a proprietary process that involves adhesive sheets, heat, and pressure.

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And, Diaz notes, the bling has become something of a Team USA signature, having adorned its uniforms since debuting (on a much smaller scale) at the 2000 Games.

“As the Olympic cycles have gone on, we’ve upped the crystal usage, because it gives us another design element,” she says.

“There’s really only so much you can do with the silhouette itself. The leotard is always going to have sleeves; it’s not going to have legs; you won’t have other pieces coming off it, because that would hinder performance. At the end of the day, it’s a functional garment.”

An aspiring clothing designer since childhood, Diaz majored in textiles and apparel on the Hill—where, she says, she was particularly grateful for her professors’ emphasis on function as well as form.

Her junior year, she studied abroad in Florence, Italy.

A close up detail of crystals on a gymnastics uniform
A close-up of the multi-hued bling.

Diaz was active in the Cornell Fashion Collective and had her designs featured at its annual runway show her senior year.

(That collection, titled “Vixen,” was inspired in part by Victoria’s Secret lingerie and the musical Cabaret; it was, she recalls with a laugh, “a little risqué.”)

Diaz was hired by the Pennsylvania-based GK Elite right out of college, rose to design director in July 2023, and now has three Olympics to her credit, having also worked on the Rio and Tokyo Games.

Jeanne Douglass Diaz as a senior surrounded by her runway models
With her “Vixen” models senior year. (Provided)

In addition to supplying the U.S. women’s uniforms, the company outfits the men’s team as well as the gymnasts of other nations including Australia, Canada, Mexico, and the Netherlands.

And yes: she’ll be attending the Games in Paris—mainly for the delight of seeing her designs in action, but equipped with spare leotards and extra crystals in case of emergency.

So how will she and her team outdo this year’s uniforms at the 2028 Games in L.A.?

“The thought of that is a little bit overwhelming,” Diaz admits.

“But once we get to celebrate what we’ve done, and give ourselves a little time, I think we’ll be able to top ourselves in four years. As a designer, your brain never really turns off. So whether or not I realize it, the next Olympics are somewhere in my brain, being designed.”

Top: Team USA gymnasts in their “Go for Glory” uniforms. All photos courtesy of GK Elite Sportswear, unless indicated.

Published July 17, 2024

Comments

  1. Mark Schiffman
    23 Jul, 2024

    I am blown away by the uniqueness, beauty, and excitement of the uniforms. I am a sports fan and have never reacted this way before.

    I can’t wait to tell – and brag (ha, ha) – to my wife, family and friends about the designer.

    Reply
  2. Rosanna Frank, Class of 1961
    23 Jul, 2024

    So proud to be Hum Ec alum and be able to boast of the accomplishments of this standout fellow alum.

    Reply
  3. Judy Marcil Joannou, Class of 1984
    24 Jul, 2024

    Bravo Jeanne Douglass Diaz! I am a proud Hum Ec Alum also a fashion designer. Can’t wait to see your designs for the Canadian gymnastic team, my home country. Love the US collection.

    Reply

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