Team Kenya Apparel: KBL At The Forefront Of Modern Sportswear, Innovation In Sports
Samson Njuka & Asiya Mohammed. PHOTO/ KBL
NAIROBI, Kenya- In the just concluded Olympic and Paralympic Games, the intersection of fashion and
technology in the sports industry was at the heart of the summer games as apparel designers
demonstrated a variety of innovations that seek to enhance performance and style for the
athletes.
For the first time in the history of Olympics, Team Kenya donned an apparel draped with a
technology that aimed to boost a sense of patriotism and excellence in the games and spur the
Kenyan spirit.
In today’s global village, anyone can wear a sporting apparel, and no one would bat an eye,
however, for professional athletes, sports kits are not just something they wear, they are an
important part of their career and success.
Asiya Mohammed & Francesca Rosella. PHOTO/ KBL
As such, apparel designers are working tirelessly to bring smart innovations in the sporting
arenas to ensure competitiveness through technologies such as electronics, sensors and
materials that offer a range of functions like temperature control, protection, monitoring,
entertainment, self-expression, and comfort.
Kenya Breweries Limited (KBL) who were the main sponsors of Team Kenya to the Paris
Games partnered with CuteCircuit – a wearable technology fashion company in London, to
design the athlete kit that allowed the athletes to interact with their fans back at home
throughout the games.
Put together in colors that represent the Kenyan heritage borrowed from the Maasai Shuka, the
apparel has light projection overlays and LED signage that carried and displayed messages of
encouragement and goodwill to the athletes sent from their Kenyan fans through the Tusker
Champions of Cheer.
The splendid attire. PHOTO/ KBL
According to Francesca Rosella, the cofounder and chief creative director Cute Circuit, being
part of the project that entrenches technology in sports apparel for Team Kenya brings out an
emotional aspect, where athletes connect with their fans directly which also enhanced their
performance.
“The inspiration behind this beautiful kit was to bring all the supporters from Kenya to Paris so
that the athletes can feel supported while they are out in the field. The kits are embedded with
microelectronic and smart fabrics,” she said.
Smart fabrics have become essential in advancing the designing of modern sportswear with
innovative features like temperature control and activity monitoring.
Through a mobile application, Ms Rosella said they are able to have direct control of the
garment in that they are able to retrieve the goodwill messages from Kenyans from the internet
which then ‘magically’ appear on the garment in real time.
“Every garment is Bluetooth enabled, and there is a micro-LED display embedded into the fabric
that is heat bonded together which means there are no wires. It is all fabric. It is also powered
with just three volts, so it is safe. We have been using it in the rain, and it is perfect,” she added.
The kit contains unique features such as ribbons, snap buttons and zippers which make the
athletes extremely comfortable when they wear the kit.
Asiya Mohammed, Pararower. PHOTO/ KBL
“When we merge fashion and technology, we are able to advance both fields together,” noted
Ms Rosella.
KBL during the Olympic Games season also partnered with a local tech company – Maison
Creatives who developed a platform that allowed Kenyans to participate in the “Champions of
Cheers” consumer promotion by sending a unique code found under the crown of a Tusker
lager bottle which allowed them to send their words of encouragement to Team Kenya athletes.
“The tech-supported kits we had for our athletes goes to show Tusker’s forward-thinking and
innovativeness by leveraging technology to promote patriotism and spread cheer throughout the
Olympic period,” Tusker Marketing Manager Christine Kariuki said.
Kenya was ranked 17 th globally and emerged as Africa’s top performer having won 12 medals –
four gold, two silver and five bronze at the Olympic Games. In the paralympic games, Kenya
won 1 silver medal, ranking 68 th on the overall medal table.
