Ìbùkúnolúwa Dàda
Designed by Telfar Clemens, Team Liberia Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony custom fits not only made a fashion statement but served as a powerful reminder of African heritage, resonating with people of African descent worldwide.
This is not the first time the Liberian-American has designed for his home country or received international recognition for his fashion acumen.
Building on his successful collaboration for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, American-Liberian designer Telfar Clemens created Liberia’s opening ceremony attire again. This year, flagbearers Thelma Davies and Emmanuel Matadi led their team sporting Telfar’s latest design: Africa-shaped floor-length jerseys in black and white, featuring mesh sleeves and adorned with both the designer’s logo and Liberia’s name.
The journey of the New York-based designer to the Olympics began in 2020: the same year his Shopping Bag, Bushwick Birgin, sold out in 2020 and he won the 2020 CFDA Award for American Accessories Designer of the Year2020 CFDA Award for American Accessories Designer of the Year.
Telfar Clemens’ involvement with Liberia’s Olympic team began when Emmanuel Matadi, a Liberian sprinter, approached the designer under the influence of his girlfriend, an admirer of Clemens’ work. Clemens enthusiastically agreed to design the team’s uniforms.
Since taking on this project, Clemens and his team have created diverse pieces including leggings, unitards, sweats, travel bags, and track spikes. Given creative freedom, Clemens told The Times, “They said ‘go crazy,’ so I did.” His distinctive style is evident in designs like compression tops printed to resemble one-shouldered tanks and sweatpants reimagined as beach skirts.
Telfar’s 2020 commitment extends beyond design to sponsorship as the brand funds the Liberian participation making it a huge launch pad for their official performance line, a move Clemens and his business partner, Babak Radboy, had long considered.
