Pittards' double Olympic loyalties
A Somerset business has been celebrating the successes of two Olympic nations during the London 2012 Games.
While athletes would normally be expected to don lightweight tracksuits between their performances, Yeovil-based Pittards has created a set of special leather jackets for the Ethiopian Olympic team. The material was chosen to meet concerns that a major change in temperature could affect their performance.
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Pittards also supplied Dorset’s gold medallist Peter Wilson with a shooting vest – fitted at the last minute
Pittards has had close contact with Ethiopia for nearly 100 years and recently opened a new leather-making factory and manufacturing plant in the country.
The idea for team jackets originated from a meeting between the company and Ethiopian running legend Haile Gebrsalassie. Pittards’ head of design, Christina Charles, said it had been a very exciting project.
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“There were about 70 people in the Ethiopian Olympic team including athletes, officials and managers, so we needed something that would work for everyone,” she said.
“I based the design on a black nappa unisex baseball style jacket with raglan sleeves and a poppered front. Each jacket had the badge of the Ethiopian Olympic committee comprising the Olympic rings and the Ethiopian flag embroidered on the chest and our garment team worked closely with the committee to ensure we provided exactly what they wanted.”
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