Jim Thorpe. Billy Mills. Lewis Tewanima. These are just a few Native American athletes who have made history at the Olympics. Thorpe, for one, became the first Native athlete to take home two gold medals for the U.S. back in 1912, when he won the pentathlon and decathlon in Stockholm; in 1964, Mills won the gold medal in the 10,000-meter run category in Tokyo. These unsung athletes may not be household names on a global scale, but in Indian Country, they are bonafide legends. And today, a new streetwear drop is now aiming to spotlight these names through style.
Out now, —an Indigenous-owned streetwear brand—has released a special Olympics capsule collection that pays homage to various Native athletes. With the 2024 Olympic Games currently underway in Paris, owner and designer Aaron Silva says he had the idea to uplift athletes from his own community. “It struck me that fan-wear for these incredible athletes is almost nonexistent,” says founder Aaron Silva. “I thought it would be amazing to provide people with the opportunity to wear replications of the pieces they once wore. This collection not only commemorates their legacy, but also supports their ongoing impact.”
The collection includes hats, sweatshirts, tees, tanks, and socks—all of which feature the names and numbers of Native Olympians. (Prices range from $20 to $100). The Billy Mills tee, for example, features the number 222, mirroring Mills’s original running number. The “Jim Thorpe” tee also features an image of the athlete running in the 1912 Olympics, when he won the silver medal; the design was created in collaboration with the Hopi artist Duane Koyawena. Even better, the collection also has a charitable component. A portion of all of the proceeds will be donated to the Thorpe family, as well as the , which helps Indigenous youth achieve their goals and dreams. For Silva, it nods back to the original intent of the drop, which was to champion Native excellence. “I love Native history, and being able to share some of their stories through fashion design is very fulfilling,” he says.
