Australia’s myth wears Armani

New Zealander actor Russell Crowe, a big friend of the stylist, is co-owner of the South Sydney Rabbitohs, the most famous Australian rugby team: he phoned to him asking him for a new wardrobe for his players

Milan, March 6th 2007 – “Hi Giorgio, Russell Crowe speaking. I bought a share of the Rabbitohs Team, they are coming back to the top of  the table. I’d like  you could design a special outfit for these players.” This is how started the collaboration between Giorgio Armani and the South Sydney Rabbitohs, the most famous rugby team in the Australian championship, of which “Gladiator”s actor, the stylist’s NewZealander friend, is a co-owner.

Armani has designed the new outfit for the players’ off-stage activities (see the “uniform”), a soft design suit with  a two-button pinstriped jacket, the colours of which ( myrtle green and scarlet) recall the team’s ones, a matching tie, black flat-front trousers and a white shirt bearing the player’s number in a pale grey shade.

The Rabbitoh’s crest appeared on the players’ shirts for the first time in 1959, now it’s one of the most renowned symbols of Australian sport and is considered an icon of the Australian rugby championship. However, for 2007 the team has created a new crest that will be attached on the official vest pocket. The new crest remembers an old legend, according to which the most of the players of the first Rabbitohs team, in 1908, were rabbits’ hunters. A Latin inscription on the crest reads: “ Run faster, protect your family, children first”.

The collaboration with sportsmen isn’t new for Armani. He was the first stylist to consider football players as fashion’s icons: in 1995 he broke with precedent and presented on his catwalk David James, at that time the Liverpool’s goalkeeper. Afterwards James appeared also in the publicity campaign for Armani Jeans. Armani has also dressed many of the most famous players in the world, among them Ronaldo, Luis Fago, Fabio Cannavaro and Andriy Shevchenko. The stylist has also designed the wardrobe for the Italian Football National Team, for the English one and for the Chelsea’s one.

Translation thanks to Mirella