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A little piece of Oregon will parade through the opening ceremonies of the Olympic Summer Games in Paris on July 26. Team USA’s uniform includes a navy Ralph Lauren blazer made with yarn from Shaniko Wool Company, based in Maupin.
“It’s amazing,” Shaniko founder Jeanne Carver says. “I’m very, very, deeply grateful to Ralph Lauren for choosing our fiber and for naming us as a partner. We are such a small part, but for us, it’s very important.”
This is actually the fourth time Shaniko and Carver have provided the wool for Team USA’s uniforms, though in 2014 and 2018 it was under the name Imperial Stock Ranch. This is Carver’s first time providing wool for the summer games, however, which she takes as proof of the product’s versatility. “It’s the original performance fiber,” she adds.
The Ralph Lauren blazer is made with navy Shaniko wool with 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.
Imperial Stock Ranch is one of 10 ranches across the West that provides fiber for the Shaniko Wool Company. It is about 20 miles outside of Maupin and has been in continuous operation in Carver’s family since 1871. Maupin is a small town on the Deschutes River two hours east of Portland and is a popular starting point for whitewater rafting and fishing trips.
In addition to Ralph Lauren, Carver has also supplied wool to Patagonia. The outfitter was looking for an American wool provider that had been audited by a third party for its land stewardship and animal welfare practices.
Carver says she gets goosebumps talking about seeing Shaniko wool at the opening ceremonies again, even though it’s the fourth time.
“When this happens, it connects all of us to Team USA in a way we would not be otherwise—my UPS man, my post office, my banker, my neighbors, my family, everybody,” she says. “This is a victory for all of us.”