Featured image by IOC (Screenshot of Liberia in 2012 Olympics, one of the best Opening Ceremony looks)
Liberia has participated in 14 Olympic Games. One of the most memorable moments of each Game is the Opening Ceremony. As the team marches into the stadium all eyes are first directed to the Liberian flag — the Lonestar Banner. Then, the fashion takes center stage.
Go Team Liberia selected the 5 best Opening Ceremony looks from Team Liberia.
5. LA 1984: A message of peace
In 1984, Liberia attended the Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, California, USA, with seven athletes. They entered the stadium in white tops as a sign of peace.
The country was in a fragile state, with only five years passing from the 1980 coup. In 1984, the nation still experienced instability with fatal protests taking place on the University of Liberia campus.
The white wardrobe was a powerful and symbolic statement that would be repeated again in 1996 during the Liberian Civil War. Its meaningfulness makes it one of our top five Olympic looks.
4. London 2012: Gowns and power suits
During the London Games, Liberia entered the procession with the men wearing the traditional long navy blue gowns with red and white stripes, and a large white star in the center of the chest. Essentially, it was a bold rendition of the Liberian flag. The women wore white knee length dresses with tailored red blazers.
The mix of Western fashion on the ladies and traditional gowns on the men was a pleasant twist. Five athletes attended the 2012 Games.
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3. Seoul 1988: Classic designs
At the Seoul 1988 Olympics, Liberian athletes wore grey traditional gowns with a beautiful gold threaded pattern stitched onto the chest. It’s the gowns we’re used to seeing our aunts and uncles wear during special occasions, and it was a pleasant precursor to the red, white, and blue gowns that would dominate Liberia’s Opening Ceremony looks between the 90s and 2000s. Liberia sent eight athletes to Korea for the Games — boxers and sprinters.
2. Paris 2024: Africa on our neck
Liberian designer Telfar Clemens took Liberia’s Opening Ceremony look to the next level the moment his fashion brand became the main sponsor for Team Liberia. His Tokyo 2020 look ended up in the Olympic Museum, and his Paris 2024 design did the same.
The long black gown with a netted sleeve and Africa-shaped neckline was the talk of the internet, and it’s one of GTL’s favorite looks.
1. Melbourne 1956: Fresh on the scene
The 1956 Games in Melbourne, Australia, is our most favorite look. This was the first time Liberia ever attended an Olympic Game, and the men looked dapper in their white pants and blue blazers over their white v-neck vests with a red and blue stripe outlining the neck line, over the white button-up blouses. Let’s not forget the Liberian-flag-themed shield over their left breast pocket, and the white top hats. Even though it wasn’t a traditional African look, them boys looked cleaner than a whistle.
Liberia is always stepping on the scene with a look. But no matter what item Team Liberia wears during the Opening Ceremony, the star of the show is always the Lonestar Banner.