Haitian-Italian designer Stella Jean was chosen to design the uniforms for the Haitian team at the Paris Olympic Games, scheduled from July 26 to August 11, 2024, Loop Haiti has learned.
In collaboration with Haitian painter Philippe Dodard, a work entitled “Passage” will be integrated into the uniforms and the 15 athletes of the team will display these creations during the opening ceremony which will take place on July 26 along the Seine in Paris .
For the feminine version, an ensemble composed of a full skirt adorned with Dodard’s works, combined with a chambray shirt woven in Haiti according to the “blue cotton” tradition, will be completed by a sleeveless blazer made from recycled fabric , displaying the Haitian Olympic emblem.
As for the men’s uniform, it will include pants featuring the motif of Dodard’s painting, matched with a field jacket inspired by the famous Haitian Guayabera shirt. This jacket will be worn over a striped shirt and accessorized with a printed scarf.
The uniforms designed by Stella Jean will also be exhibited at the Haitian National Pantheon Museum (MUPANAH), in Port-au-Prince.
Who is Stella Jean?
Below is his biography as taken from his site.
Stella Jean is an Italian designer. Recognized as the first black Italian designer.
Stella Jean was born in Rome to a Haitian mother and an Italian father. She spent her early years in Haiti.
Stella studied political science at the Sapienza University of Rome, before dropping out to become a model for Egon von Fürstenberg, fashion designer and ex-husband of Diane von Fürstenberg. It was here where she realized that she preferred making clothes to wearing them.
Jean won second place in the AltaRoma and Vogue Italia “Who Is On Next” competition in 2011.
In 2013, Stella was chosen and invited by Giorgio Armani to do her first official show during Milan Fashion Week SS14 at the Armani/theatre.
She is the first BIPOC member of the Italian Chamber of Fashion since its founding in 1958. The basis of Jean’s work is multiculturalism applied to ethical fashion, resulting in a cultural fusion of her own mixed-race identity. His work often fuses classic Italian tailoring with stylistic features from different cultures. Stella Jean created the economic model and the sustainable development platform: “Laboratorio delle Nazioni”. In 2019, she was highlighted by the New York Times as the most compelling of all Milan designers.
