Cedella Marley Designs Grab Gold For Jamaican Olympic Team

Category: Island Talk Created on Saturday, 28 July 2012 07:22

Designer Cedella Marley, the oldest daughter of reggae legend Bob Marley, has garnered rave reviews for her hip, uniquely Jamaican outfits for her country’s Olympians.

The singer, actress, mother, author, dancer, entrepreneur and fashion designer partnered with German sports apparel label Puma to outfit the Jamaica Olympic team and the result of the collaboration has been hailed as pure gold.

Paying homage to her heritage, Marley created an Olympic kit that incorporates the black, green and yellow of the Jamaican flag and features images of her iconic father and a stylized leaf print. What kind of leaf? Check it out for yourself, mon.

At a preview last month, sprint sensation Usain Bolt modelled a crisp green short-sleeved shirt with black darts at the shoulder, a skinny black tie and slim yellow pants with a thick black tuxedo stripe down the side.

There are also fitted military-style jackets for both men and women, and Marley screened a vintage photo of Arthur Wint, who in 1948 became Jamaica's first Olympic champion, onto the high-tech track and field uniforms.

Marley, 44, claims that her debut in fashion design was made purely by accident.

“Touring with my brothers and sisters with Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers, I wanted everyone to stand out. We had the name and we had the music, but I also knew we needed to bring something different to reggae,” she told the media.

“So I started to deconstruct different items and went from there to deconstructing more items and using my own fabrics. It’s been really good.”

As to the honour of representing her country by creating the Olympic outfits, Marley said: “There is a very deep pride with being a Jamaican and being the one who designs the uniforms only deepens that pride.”

Photo Credit To Highs Nobette