For the fourth time, the Shaniko Wool Company provided wool for the Ralph Lauren outfits worn at the opening ceremony of the summer games.
Wool from Oregon was again worn by Team USA at the Olympics and Paralympic Games.
Yarn from the Shaniko Wool Company of Maupin was used by Ralph Lauren in the navy blazers worn by athletes at the July 26 Opening Ceremony in the world’s fashion capital: Paris. It was the fourth time a company headed by rancher Jeanne Carver has provided wool to Ralph Lauren for the Olympics though from 2014 to 2018 she did so under the imprint Imperial Stock Ranch.
Shaniko Wool is a family-owned farm group that markets and sells sustainable wool. It’s the ninth time Ralph Lauren has outfitted the U.S. Olympic team and the first time Carver’s wool has been used in a summer games. Team USA will wear the uniforms again in the Closing Ceremony Parade on Aug. 11.
Willamette Week notes the Olympic blazer features red and white ribbon details, an U.S. Olympic Team logo patch on one breast, and a large Polo Ralph Lauren logo embroidered on the other. It retails for $998.
Located about 20 miles outside Maupin in remote Wasco County, Imperial Stock Ranch has been operated by Carver’s family since 1871.
Founded in 2018, the Shaniko Wool Company today includes 10 sheep ranches in Oregon, Idaho, Colorado, Nevada and California. The wool used in the Olympic blazers is an aggregate from different ranches, according to The Capital Press. Altogether, the company produces approximately 500,000 pounds of Merino wool and Merino crossbred fiber each year.
The company was the first U.S. farm group to be certified under the Responsible Wool Standard signifying the wool meets strict standards for animal husbandry, land conservation and worker welfare guidelines. A fourth-generation rancher, Carver first sought the certification in the late 1990s after her then-wool buyer went offshore. In 2012, she got a call from representatives of Ralph Lauren for use in the Olympic uniforms. Carver called the partnership with Ralph Lauren life-changing and led to orders from Patagonia, American Eagle and J. Crew, according to Capital Press.
An Oregon State University alum (and two-sport athlete), Carver now partners with the university to measure her ranch’s environmental impact and ensure the sustainability of operations.
Oregon Public Broadcasting notes that prior to 2012, Ralph Lauren took heat for manufacturing its Olympic uniforms overseas. The apparel maker partnered with a number of U.S. manufacturers to make the 2024 uniforms. They include Maine shoemaker Rancourt & Co., New York’s Ferrara Manufacturing (which made the blazer and woven shirt), Maine’s Rogue Industries (belts) and California’s Saitex USA (blue jeans).
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