Jim Thorpe. Billy Mills. Lewis Tewanima. These are just a few Native American athletes who have made history at the Olympics as Christian Allaire writes in Vogue.
Thorpe, for one, became the first Native athlete to take home two gold medals for the U.S. back in 1912, when he won the pentathlon and decathlon in Stockholm; in 1964, Mills won the gold medal in the 10,000-meter run category in Tokyo.
These unsung athletes may not be household names on a global scale, but in Indian Country, they are bonafide legends. And today, a new streetwear drop is now aiming to spotlight these names through style.
Out now, The NTVS—an Indigenous-owned streetwear brand—has released a special Olympics capsule collection that pays homage to various Native athletes.
With the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic games currently underway in Paris, owner and designer Aaron Silva says he had the idea to uplift athletes from his own community. “It struck me that fan-wear for these incredible athletes is almost nonexistent."
“I thought it would be amazing to provide people with the opportunity to wear replications of the pieces they once wore. This collection not only commemorates their legacy, but also supports their ongoing impact.”
