Pan Am Games uniforms made in Canada – at least mostly

The Canadian Pan Am Games uniforms were unveiled in Toronto this week, and were widely well-received by both the athletes and the public. Designed to pay homage to the Canadian flag, as this year is its 50^th anniversary, the uniforms all feature the maple leaf prominently and in vibrant red against black, white and grey contrast.

There was one question that many still seem curious about, however, once the big reveal had sunk in: Where exactly are these uniforms made?

The question caused controversy for Hudson’s Bay ahead of the Beijing Olympics in 2008, when several opposition MPs learned that the uniforms were being manufactured in China, not in Canada. Hudson’s Bay addressed the situation by manufacturing most of the athlete uniforms in Canada for the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics. Replica clothes sold to the public in Hudson’s Bay Co. stores were still manufactured in China, along with a portion of the athlete outfits.

This time, the Canadian Pan Am team clothing, which is also made by Hudson’s Bay, will be taking a similar path. Senior Manager of Public Relations for Hudson’s Bay, Michelle Veilleux, responded to a query from Yahoo Canada about their origins with the following:

“The majority of items the athletes receive for the opening ceremony, closing ceremony, podium and village are designed and made in Canada.”

At time of writing, Hudson’s Bay had not responded to request for further comment, so there’s no confirmation where the portions not made in Canada were manufactured, and where the clothes that will be sold to the public are made.

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