Image: courtesy The Sun newspaper
BA (Hons) Fashion Sportswear graduate Izzy Krassismenou has created a sports performance enhancing track and field collection inspired by Rio 2016. The core of her work is based on research into colour ways taken from Rio 2016 – even down to looking at Brazilian architecture for seam placements. Recently Team GB’s number one 100m sprinter, Dwain Chambers, wore the ismini shorts at the Olympic Trials 2012.
Her work was also inspired by body mapping techniques. Using technical fabrics in specific areas of the sportswear depending on the biomechanics of the athlete’s body meant each panel exists for a specific reason, and the technical fabrics serve each purpose. Silver Fibre which is thermodynamic, antibacterial, anti-odour, breathable and anti-static, Carbon fibre which lowers body temperature, heart rate, lactic acid and iDry fabric which is a new specialised fabric that helps to transport sweat quickly outside of the garment keeping athletes dry at all times.
She has worked with elite athletes including Rikki Fifton, Eugene Ayanful, and Dwain Chambers, using the body scan machine at John Princes Street which gives accurate measurements of body types, and demonstrates the different bodies that sprinters can have.
Her clothes were tested by Rikki Fifton at the Olympic test in May 2012 at Bucs Outdoor Champs, in the UKA Mens 100m Final event. Dwain Chambers saw the ismini shorts and was so interested he contacted Izzy with a request for his own collection. Izzy is currently developing the collection, which Dwain started to wear at the Olympic trials and Diamond League events prior to London 2012.
Izzy is herself an athlete who trains for Enfield and Haringey AC and attended a football academy for two years before starting university. She has had training sessions with both the GB Handball and Bobsleigh teams and in 2010 represented England for Indoor Netball at the World Indoor Netball Association World Cup for the Under 23’s in South Africa and is currently working at London 2012.
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