Part of Oregon will parade during the opening ceremony of the Summer Olympics in Paris on July 26. Team USA’s uniforms include a navy Ralph Lauren blazer made with yarn from Maupin, Oregon-based Shaniko Wool Company.
“It’s amazing,” Carver says. “We’re incredibly grateful that Ralph Lauren chose our fiber and chose to partner with us. Our role is very small, but it’s very important to us.”
This is actually the fourth time Shaniko and founder Jean Carver have supplied wool for Team USA’s uniforms—they did so under the name Imperial Stock Ranch in 2014 and 2018—but this is the first time they’ve supplied wool to the Summer Olympics, which she sees as testament to the product’s versatility (“It’s the original performance fiber,” she says).
The Ralph Lauren blazer is made from navy Shanico wool with red and white ribbon detailing and features a U.S. Olympic team logo patch on one side of the chest and a large Polo Ralph Lauren logo embroidered on the other. Retail price is $998.
Imperial Stock Ranch is one of ten western ranches that supply fiber to the Shaniko Wool Company. It is located about 20 miles from Maupin and has been continuously operated by the Carver family since 1871. Maupin is a small town two hours east of Portland on the Deschutes River and is a popular starting point for whitewater rafting and fishing trips.
In addition to Ralph Lauren, Carver also supplies wool to Patagonia, and the apparel manufacturer was looking for an American wool supplier that was third-party audited for land management and animal welfare practices.
Carver said he gets goosebumps talking about it, even though it was his fourth time seeing Shaniko Uhl again at the Opening Ceremony.
“When something like this happens, the UPS delivery guy, the postal worker, the banker, the neighbors, our family, everybody – all of us – connect with Team USA in ways we wouldn’t have otherwise,” she said. “This is a win for all of us.”
