As the anticipation builds for the upcoming international sports event in Tokyo, all eyes are on the athletes and their quest for glory. For USA Golf, their journey is backed by adidas, the renowned uniform maker, who has designed their official uniforms for both the men’s and women’s teams competing at Kasumigaseki Country Club. This marks a significant moment where performance sportswear meets artistic design, creating uniforms that are not only functional but also deeply symbolic.
Once adidas was announced as the Official Uniform Provider for USA Golf, the collaboration with Tokyo-based artist Hiroko Takahashi began. Takahashi, known for her minimalist yet impactful designs, infused the iconic red, white, and blue of the American flag with Japanese artistic principles. Her signature style, characterized by circles and straight lines, embodies infinite possibilities and is instantly recognizable. While Takahashi has previously collaborated with adidas on other product lines, this project marked her first foray into golf apparel design, bringing a fresh perspective to the sport’s attire.
Takahashi’s design philosophy for the USA Golf uniforms is rooted in a profound Japanese proverb attributed to Shingen Takeda, a celebrated samurai warrior: “as fast as the wind, as quiet as the forest, as daring as fire, and immovable as the mountain.” This powerful saying serves as the thematic inspiration for each day of the competition. Each round’s uniform, for both men and women, visually represents one of these elements through Takahashi’s distinctive design language: Wind for Round 1, Forest for Round 2, Fire for Round 3, and Mountain for Round 4.
I think that I was able to design with a different perspective from when I design products for everyone to wear. I believe that golf is a unique sport in a sense that it’s an individual sport, but you can also play it with a team.With that in my mind, I designed the USA GOLF uniforms with links of circles and lines, imagining the powers of individuals coming together as one and spreading into infinite possibilities.
Hiroko Takahashi
For the men’s team, adidas, as a leading uniform maker, prioritized performance and comfort by utilizing a combination of their Ultimate365 and HEAT.RDY technologies in the polo shirts. Recognizing the Tokyo climate, the HEAT.RDY material is engineered with lightweight, Aqua-X yarns that excel at wicking away sweat. Strategic body ventilation zones are integrated into the design, ensuring athletes remain cool and focused even as temperatures rise on the course.
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Day One (Wind): The first round will see USA GOLF players sporting the Ultimate365 lightweight polo in a crisp white, energized by bold blue stripes inspired by Takahashi’s “wind” concept. Breathability is maximized through mesh paneling in the back, and the fabric is designed to move seamlessly with the golfer’s body, enhancing performance.
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Day Two (Forest): For the second day, the uniform shifts to a sport-inspired polo featuring a blade collar with integrated mesh zones and HEAT.RDY fabric. The light gray undertone print incorporates Takahashi’s signature stripes and circles, merging into a larger, cohesive design that represents the quiet strength of the forest. A traditional collar option will also be available, providing players with personalized choices in their adidas uniform.
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Day Three (Fire): Representing the daring nature of fire, the third-round polo is a vibrant red, boldly emblazoned with Takahashi’s unique fire-inspired design. The Ultimate365 lightweight polo enhances confidence with its four-way stretch fabric, allowing for unrestricted movement throughout the golf swing. Mesh side paneling further ensures optimal cooling during intense competition.
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Day Four (Mountain): The final round uniform is a blue sport-inspired polo, featuring a blade collar for a modern, athletic silhouette. Like the day two polo, it incorporates HEAT.RDY material for superior breathability and a distinctive chest design. A single red stripe detail from the collar extending into the sleeves adds a touch of visual interest. A traditional striped ribbed collar option is also available.
Adding to the versatility of the men’s uniform, Adidas Uniform Maker also provides an option for a long-sleeve Ultimate365 polo. This breathable garment includes UPF50 sun protection, catering to the players’ needs for both comfort and protection from the elements. For bottoms, the men’s team has a choice between blue pants crafted from meltaway material, known for its soft, premium feel and ventilation, and white pants made from a lightweight twill material, offering a distinctive look and style.
USA Uniform_Men
The women’s USA GOLF team uniforms, also designed by adidas, the leading uniform maker, are crafted with a blend of HEAT.RDY and AEROREADY fabrics, ensuring optimal coolness and peak performance on the course. These technologies are central to adidas‘ commitment to providing athletes with the best possible apparel for competitive sports.
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Day One (Wind): For the opening round, the women will wear a crew mock short-sleeve polo in white, adorned with blue stripes across the body, echoing the “wind” theme. The polo features lightweight fabric on the back panel for enhanced ventilation. Paired with the top is the 16” Ultimate Solid Skort, complete with a bonded waistband and bright red undershorts, adding a vibrant pop of color to the ensemble.
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Day Two (Forest): Reflecting the quiet strength of the forest, players have several top options for day two: a lightweight long-sleeve shirt with a mock collar (weighing just 127g), as well as short-sleeve and sleeveless polos with a sport collar construction. All options feature Takahashi’s forest-inspired pattern and are made with HEAT.RDY material. For bottoms, the women can choose a specially designed pull-on woven short in blue, featuring a bonded waistband, a three-inch inseam, the USA logo, and red side slits for added detail. Side and back pockets provide a smooth, athletic finish to this adidas uniform.
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Day Three (Fire): In a bold representation of fire, both tops and bottoms for the third round are all red. Athletes will wear a zip mock polo, available in short-sleeve and sleeveless styles, featuring a hidden-zip closure for a sleek look. Bottom options include the 16” A-Line silhouette skort with a bonded waistband, completing the fiery and energetic look.
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Day Four (Mountain): As the women’s team enters the final round, embodying the steadfastness of the mountain, they will wear a sport-inspired dress with a mock collar and hidden zip closure. This lightweight, sleeveless dress has an athletic cut, designed to inspire confidence and ensure comfort throughout the final round, showcasing adidas‘ expertise as a uniform maker.
The unifying element across both the men’s and women’s USA GOLF uniforms is the consistent use of Takahashi’s print patterns for each day of competition. This design cohesion underscores the unity and shared spirit of the USA Golf team as they compete on the world stage.
USA Uniform_Women
Golf has seen such a tremendous surge in popularity around the world over the last year, so we’re excited to support the USA GOLF athletes on the world’s stage as they compete in Tokyo next month.This capsule of uniforms carries such a unique story from a design standpoint, but we also made sure our best material innovations were embedded as part of the uniform so that all players on the USA GOLF teams can perform at the highest level.
Jeff Lienhart, President, adidas Golf
Beyond the Tokyo event, adidas‘ commitment as a uniform maker for USA Golf extends to equipping both teams for the 2018 Youth Olympic Games and the 2019 Pan-Am Games. Furthermore, casual golf apparel is provided for player caddies and USA GOLF staff for all events, highlighting the comprehensive partnership.
Both Hiroko and the team at adidas did such an amazing job to represent the United States with these uniforms. This has been such a long-awaited event,so we’re excited to finally see these athletes compete on behalf of USA GOLF and know that these uniforms were made with adidas’ most innovative materials so all players will perform at their best.
Andy Levinson, Executive Director, USA Golf
This marks the second time adidas has served as the Official Uniform Provider for USA GOLF, having previously outfitted the team in Rio de Janeiro when golf made its return to the international sporting stage in 2016. The official uniforms and additional USA-related gear became available starting July 1st on adidas.com, the adidas app, and at select retailers*, allowing fans to support Team USA.
*Product available in the U.S. and South Korea only.
