KBL Ventures In Fashion Technology, Produces Sports Kits With Smart Fabrics That Receive Messages

• The 2024 Paris Olympics turned out to be unique as sportswear designers leveraged technology to enhance athletes' performance
• Kenya Breweries Limited (KBL), the sponsor of Team Kenya, introduced a smartwatch solution where fans can send athletes goodwill messages
• KBL also ventured into sports kit fashion technology, designing smart fabrics that help athletes monitor temperatures, among other features

The just-concluded Olympics and Paralympics 2024 have realised the intersection of fashion and technology in the sports industry.

Sports kits are not just attires athletes wear, but are an important part of their career and success.

At the heart of the summer games, apparel designers demonstrated a variety of innovations that sought to enhance athletes' performance and style.

Was technology used to make kits for Kenya's athletes?

For the first time, Team Kenya donned apparel draped with technology that aimed to boost a sense of patriotism and excellence in the games and spur the Kenyan spirit.

The technology leveraged in the kits includes electronics, sensors, and materials that offer a range of functions, such as temperature control, protection, monitoring, entertainment, self-expression, and comfort.

According to a press statement seen by TUKO.co.ke, this was realised through a partnership between Kenya Breweries Limited (KBL), the main sponsor of Team Kenya to the Paris Olympics, and London-based wearable technology firm CuteCircuit.

The deal saw KBL design kits that allowed the athletes to interact with their fans back at home throughout the period.

What are the features of smart fabric sports kits?

The kits were combined with colours that represent the Kenyan heritage borrowed from the Maasai shuka, light projection overlays and LED signage that carried and displayed messages of encouragement to the athletes.

These messages were sent from their Kenyan fans through the Tusker Champions of Cheer campaign.

CuteCircuit CEO and cofounder Francesca Rosella said the wearable tech apparel brings out an emotional aspect, where athletes connect with their fans directly, enhancing their performance.

“The inspiration behind this beautiful kit was to bring all the supporters from Kenya to Paris so that the athletes can feel supported while they are out in the field. The kits are embedded with microelectronic and smart fabrics,” said Rosella.

Rosella explained that through a mobile application, athletes are able to control the garment and retrieve the messages, which can appear 'magically' on the kits in real-time.

She noted that the garment is Bluetooth enabled, and there is a micro-LED display embedded into the fabric that is heat bonded.

"This means there are no wires. It is all fabric. It is also powered with just three volts, so it is safe. We have been using it in the rain, and it is perfect,” she added.

The kit also contains unique features such as ribbons, snap buttons, and zippers, which make the athletes feel extremely comfortable.

The CEO revealed that smart fabrics have become essential in advancing the design of modern sportswear with innovative features like temperature control and activity monitoring.

“When we merge fashion and technology, we are able to advance both fields together,” noted Rosella.

KBL offers athletes smartwatch solution

During the same Olympic season, KBL also partnered with a local tech company – Maison Creatives, to develop a platform that allowed Kenyans to participate in the “Champions of Cheers” consumer promotion.

The programme allowed fans to send a unique code found under the crown of a Tusker lager bottle and words of encouragement to Team Kenya athletes via smartwatches.

“The tech-supported kits we had for our athletes goes to show Tusker’s forward-thinking and innovativeness by leveraging technology to promote patriotism and spread cheer throughout the Olympic period,” Tusker Marketing Manager Christine Kariuki said.

Kenya was ranked 17th globally and emerged as Africa’s top performer, having won 12 medals – four gold, two silver and five bronze at the Olympic Games.

In the paralympic games, Kenya won 1 silver medal, ranking 68th on the overall medal table.

Proofreading by Mercy Nyambura Guthua, journalist and copy editor at TUKO.co.ke