China’s ‘ugly’ Asian Games outfits get the thumbs down from fans — ‘is the designer kidding?’
- Badminton stars Chen Yufei and Shi Yuqi on hand to model the official uniforms for China’s Hangzhou delegation in Beijing on Tuesday
- ‘Ugly’ is the consensus verdict on Chinese social media, where the blue and white designs were trending for all the wrong reasons
The outfits to be worn by China’s athletes at the Hangzhou Asian Games were officially unveiled on Tuesday – but were almost universally panned on social media.
Badminton stars Shi Yuqi – a men’s team gold medallist at the 2018 Games in Jakarta – and Olympic champion Chen Yufei were on hand to model the Chinese team’s official men’s and women’s uniforms at an event in Beijing ahead of the 19th Asiad, which gets under way on September 23.
Comprising blue blazers with white shirts and trousers for the men, and a white dress for the women, the designs are “embellished with Chinese elements such as the blue and white porcelain and peonies, highlighting the charm of Chinese culture” according to state media.
If fan reaction is anything to go by, however, China will not be inspiring any new fashion trends when they appear among the 45 delegations for the opening ceremony at the 80,000 seat Hangzhou Park Sports Stadium.
“Ugly” was the consensus verdict on China’s Twitter-like social media platform Weibo where the outfits were trending for all the wrong reasons.
“The women’s [outfit] is really … ugly is just one word, but I can say it 10,000 times,” a commenter said on the platform.
“Such an ugly colour, and the material doesn’t look textured,” was another response, while one Weibo user said it would be a “shame” to see the outfits at a home event, adding “it’s really too ugly.”