London 2012 Olympics: Prada to Style Italian National Sailing Team

Italian fashion label, Prada has been revealed as the official sponsor of the Italian national sailing team at the London 2012 Olympics.

The luxury label will reportedly create the uniforms for the athletes as well as the technical team's uniforms. The brand's logo will also be featured on the hulls and sails of all competing boats and team support vessels.

This is not the first time that the fashion label has been involved in the design process of an international sports competition. Prior to this, Prada had sponsored four America's Cup campaigns, in addition to several other international competitions.

"Olympic classes are an irreplaceable step to allow a sailor's talent to bloom," Vogue UK quoted Prada CEO Patrizio Bertelli saying. "However, the high potential - in terms of communication as well - of Olympic sailing is too often neglected, or underestimated. For a brand like Prada, which is so closely connected to the top level of this sport, it thus comes naturally to encourage and support those sailors who may play a key role in other challenges in the future."

For the 2012 Olympics, Prada is not the only fashion label involved in the designing process of the athletic teams.

Prior to this, British designer Stella McCartney revealed the Olympic Team GB kit she has designed for the 2012 sporting event.

Apart from this, another Italian label Giorgio Armani will be designing the uniform for the Italian Olympic team while Ralph Lauren will design for the opening and closing ceremony parade outfits.