2 October 2024
 The Milano Cortina Winter Olympic Games, February 6-22, 2026, may seem a long way off. But preparations are already underway: from the training of the aspiring Olympians to the development of new materials for equipment like snowboards as well as the creation and development of the clothing the athletes will wear - from fashion to high-tech performance wear. Today, Fashion.at was invited to a press conference of the Olympic Team Austria and AlphaTauri to get an insight into these preparations. For the first time, the Austrian premium fashion brand is the official outfitter for the thermal clothing of the Austrian team. The brand, founded by Red Bull in 2016, is known for its strong ties to the world of sports, especially Formula 1, the development of its own fabrics such as the waterproof and highly breathable Taurobran textile or soft-shell pieces equipped with heating technology. Technology and performance packed into fashion classics, interpreted with a futuristic touch thanks to the new design options made possible by the properties of innovative materials - this is how AlphaTauri's fashion can be described in a few words. The Olympic winter sports are a game of materials - to an even greater extent than the summer games. From skis to snowboards to skeletons, equipment can be the difference between winning and losing. No wonder the athletes at today's press conference were happy to speak about the prospects of getting outfits for the Games in Milan, the second city after Paris 2024 where fashion is likely to play an important role in the world's leading sporting event, from a company that plays at a high level in both worlds, the world of performance and the world of fashion. AlphaTauri develops the outfits together with the athletes. In early September, Olympic gold medalist snowboarder Benjamin Karl attended the first fitting. Image: The picture shows the photo shooting at the press conference of the Olympic Team Austria and AlphaTauri at the restaurant 'The Loft' - with view over the city - at the SO/ Vienna Hotel on October 2, 2024. From left to right: ÖOC Secretary General Peter Mennel, Olympic snowboarding gold medalist Benjamin Karl, overall World Cup ski jumping champion Eva Pinkelnig, three-time skeleton Olympian Janine Flock and AlphaTauri CEO Karl-Heinz Lauterbach. The athletes are wearing AlphaTauri clothing from the current collection. Editor's note: Fashion.at used the time before the press conference to talk to Tanja Burianek, Marketing Director of SO/ Vienna, where the press conference took place. The hotel has a strong focus on fashion, design and art with events such as the recent presentation of the 'Timeless Reflections' collection by Callisti (article). The next events are already planned, starting with AlphaTauri around the last week of November and designers such as 3D printing specialist Julia Körner, who has worked with labels such as Swarovski, Chanel, haute couture by Iris van Herpen, or for film costumes such as the collaboration with Ruth E. Carter for the award-winning Hollywood film Black Panther. Details on SO/ Vienna's upcoming fashion and design events will be announced in the coming weeks. |