USWNT suits: Everything to know about Nike's Women's World Cup pre

Mar 17, 2024

Soccer players sporting designer attire as they arrive at stadiums is as routine a sighting these days as the game themselves. Few, though, have made a statement the way the U.S. women's national team did en route to their Women's World Cup opener against Vietnam in Auckland, New Zealand.

Each member of the squad left the hotel and walked onto the team bus in matching black houndstooth suits, each emblazoned with the players' initials. The suits were paired with crisp white button-downs as well as a handful of pieces, all designed by Nike and menswear designer Martine Rose. The designs mark the latest collaboration between the two apparel brands and a major expansion into women's soccer for Martine Rose specifically.

REAL #WOMENSWEAR HOURS. 🥶The @uswnt stunt in their custom tailored Nike x Martine Rose suits. 👑 pic.twitter.com/U6d5BodOYc

"The culture of football has always been a major part of my collections," Rose told CBS Sports. "I have always referenced football. It has been a massive learning curve with me, understanding women's football specifically, and that has been a journey I have gone through exclusively with Nike.

"Nike has been a vehicle for me to explore the world of women's football and it has been a huge learning curve. Over the last two and a half years, since I really started studying the game, and getting under the skin of it, I have learnt so much."

Rose's learning created a collection that, according to Nike, dissolves "the boundaries of men and women's football styling with gender-free tailored player suiting." It also features a handful of accessories, including a pair of large, gold-tinted sunglasses, the latest iteration of the Nike x Martine Rose Shox Mule MR4, and a trench coat that's yet to be sported by the USWNT players. The collection went on sale on Martine-Rose.com and SNKRS on Tuesday, and dropped in select specialty stores on Thursday.

"When a woman wears a suit, it expresses strength, resilience and beauty," Rose said in a Nike statement. "I want women to feel powerful in their suits like men do. More than that, although I'm using women to tell the story, there's no gender attached to the suit. Anyone can wear it. I hope one day we're not talking about gender in sport and are just talking about the sport. Once everything is stripped back, it's just the game that's left."

The rise of women's sports over the last several years has brought a newfound cultural relevance for the athletes involved, who have slowly but surely capitalized on the increasing interest in sports from high fashion brands. Fashion-forward star Megan Rapinoe can speak to it firsthand and describes the collection as a meeting point of her on-field goals and her off-field identity.

"Wearing this suit to walk out on the field feels like the culmination of my whole career — to elevate the women's team look, to show something unexpected, and to continue to push boundaries in what it means to be an elite female athlete," Rapinoe said in a statement. "I love the mash-up that sports and fashion and culture has become, and as an athlete, I've always wanted what we wear to stand for more."

The collection also allows for personal expression, as was on display ahead of the USWNT's second match against the Netherlands. Players were free to pick and choose pieces and style them to their preference as they left their hotel in Wellington and had the option of a red turtleneck.

Pics that go hard 📸 pic.twitter.com/H2bTCPcIv2

There's no word yet on whether or not the reigning champions will debut new pieces ahead of their group stage finale against Portugal on Tuesday or in subsequent matches should they advance. The pre-game attire only adds to the anticipation ahead of each USWNT game, which only grows as the tournament progresses.