6 hidden details in Simone Biles' and Suni Lee's Olympic leotards at the women's gymnastics all-around final
Talia Lakritz
- Simone Biles and Suni Lee competed in the women's gymnastics all-around final at the Paris Olympics.
- Biles wore a blue leotard featuring over 10,000 crystals with stars and stripes on the sleeves.
Simone Biles and Suni Lee, both past Olympic gold medalists in women's all-around gymnastics, competed for the title once again at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Biles took home the gold, winning her ninth Olympic medal and cementing her status as the most decorated American gymnast of all time. Lee won the bronze medal.
Biles and Lee wore custom leotards designed by GK Elite, a sportswear company and official partner of USA Gymnastics. Here are six hidden details you might have missed in the designs.
Simone Biles' leotard design, titled "Luminous Legacy," gleams with over 10,000 crystals.
The leotard includes two shades of Swarovski crystals, Light Siam Shimmer and Majestic Blue, which are exclusive to the 2024 Olympics, according to GK Elite.
The lines on the bodice are designed to look like a corset in a tribute to French fashion.
Jeanne Diaz, GK Elite's lead designer, told Business Insider that the design team also took inspiration from "superhero Wonder Woman armor" while creating this look.
Sublimated stars and crystal lines on the sleeves offer an abstract take on the stars and stripes of the American flag.
Sublimation is a specialized print technique used to apply graphics to fabric using heat and pressure. It was first used in leotards at the 2016 Olympics in Rio.
"That technique allows us to get really intricate details, really fine lines, without having to use any other more expensive or more stretch-restrictive surface techniques," Diaz said.
Suni Lee's leotard, "Elegance," features a crystal lace-inspired pattern referencing "the softer side of Parisian fashion," Diaz said.
The lace design is meant to evoke haute couture and the decorative, flowing lines of the Art Nouveau movement popularized in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Diaz said.
The pattern on Lee's mesh sleeves was also printed on the fabric using sublimation.
A lace-up design on the back provides another tribute to Parisian corsets.
The faux corset is encrusted with crystals.
Her leotard is covered in over 5,000 crystals.
The front of the leotard features flame and diamond-shaped crystals.
Popular Right Now
Advertisement