From the viral Nike eagle skirt to Mongolia’s show-stopping opening ceremony uniforms, the apparel at the 2026 Winter Olympics has sparked conversation far beyond the podium. With the Games unfolding in Milan, one of the world’s most influential fashion capitals, it’s no surprise that national teams arrived styled with intention.
For those of us in the apparel industry, the Olympics offer a rare, global lens into what’s resonating in athletic wear right now. Below, we break down the top athletic apparel trends we spotted at the Games—and how you can recreate these looks in your own decorated apparel lineup:
Maximum Print Placements
Watching the Games, one thing is clear: more print placements are better. While multiple placements serve a practical purpose for athletes, i.e. making it easy to identify teams and countries at a glance, they also mirror the broader maximalist trend that’s been gaining momentum in retail and streetwear.
Today’s customers want more than a single left-chest logo. They’re looking for apparel that feels intentional, elevated, and designed from every angle. Prints down the sleeve, across the back, above the hem, on cuffs, or even vertically along a zip-up jacket instantly transform a basic garment into a premium, retail-ready piece.
Get the Look
One of the easiest ways to offer expanded print placements is by investing in a heat press with interchangeable platens. Smaller platen sizes—and specialty options like leg or sleeve platens—make it easier to thread garments onto the press and decorate hard-to-reach areas that a standard platen can’t access. The result: cleaner application, more creative freedom, and higher-value apparel your customers will notice.
Vertical Text
Another standout trend we saw at the Games: vertical text. Whether the artwork is rotated and printed vertically or the lettering itself is stacked and aligned top to bottom, this layout delivers instant visual impact. Vertical text placements showed up most often on the fronts of jackets, backs of garments, and down the sleeve.
Get the Look
If you want to offer fully vertical text without spending extra time on layout and design, STAHLS’ makes it easy with vertical text transfers. Simply enter the name or word you want to print, and the design work is done for you, so you can deliver an on-trend look with minimal setup and maximum impact.
Split Front Zip-Up Prints
Another standout trend from the Games was split front prints. AKA: a logo or design spans across a zip-up jacket or hoodie, split cleanly down the center zipper. Split front designs were especially popular on warm-ups and outerwear, reinforcing a premium, team-ready aesthetic that looks just as good zipped up as it does worn open.
For brands and decorators, this trend signals a shift away from isolated placements and toward full-garment design thinking, where the apparel feels cohesive from front to back.
Get the Look
Creating split front designs doesn’t have to be complicated. STAHLS’ offers easy-to-use tools that simplify ordering and alignment for split front prints.
With Any Word. Any Way.®, you can customize text-based designs built specifically for split applications, while CadWorx Live gives you more advanced control for precision layouts across zippers. Both options make it easy to achieve clean alignment and professional results without extra design time or guesswork.
Dimensional Decorations
By far the most prominent trend spotted on both fan and athlete apparel was dimensional decoration, especially emblems and patches. While these elements have long been a staple of Olympic apparel, what stood out this year was the range of finishes and depth now available. Instead of traditional embroidered patches alone, we saw bold full-color emblems, high-dimension materials like silicone and PVC, and eye-catching metallic effects that added texture and visual impact to garments.
The result? Apparel that feels more premium and tactile, perfectly aligned with today’s demand for elevated athletic and fanwear.
Get the Look
STAHLS’ offers a wide range of custom heat-applied emblems and patches in multiple finishes and dimensions. FlexStyle® delivers a true emblem look and is available in both metallic and non-metallic finishes, with a variety of textures and depth options. For maximum elevation and bold dimension, PVC patches make a strong statement, while classic embroidered, leather, and woven patches remain go-to options for timeless appeal.
The 2026 Olympics may be coming to a close, but the influence they’ve had on athletic apparel is just getting started. By bringing these on-trend looks into your decorated apparel offerings, you can tap into what customers are excited about right now, and turn Olympic inspiration into everyday sales.