Friday evening, millions of spectators will witness the lighting of the Olympic torch. And as athletes from each country fill the arena, a Massachusetts clothing brand will make its debut as the clothing designer for the Cape Verde team.
ISLNDZ is a clothing brand based in Quincy, founded in 2018 by Alexandre Figueiredo and Felipe Soares, two of the more than 70,000 Cape Verdean people who call Massachusetts home.
The Cape Verdean Olympic Committee was “looking for a brand that’s either Cape Verdean or owned by Cape Verdeans, operated by Cape Verdeans. So that kind of gave us some motivation,” Figueiredo said. The deal with the Olympic Committee is the company’s biggest venture so far.
While Team USA athletes are typically adorned in Nike and other major brands, Paris will be the first time that Cape Verdean athletes have had an entire sponsored clothing kit.
The designers were inspired by the nation’s flag, which was designed in 1976 after the country’s liberation from Portuguese colonial rule. According to Soares, the colors symbolize blue for the seas and skies, red for the hard-working citizens, white for peace, and stars for each island.
ISLNDZ also used the unofficial mascot of Cape Verde, the shark, as a symbol of the island nation throughout the branding.
This year, the Cape Verdean team is bringing seven athletes to Paris for a variety of events: judo, boxing, fencing, swimming, and track and field.
“For them to have a Cape Verdean brand produce something of the same quality and make it expansive so that it covers their daily needs, is something that, you know, they loved it,” Figueiredo said.
Both Soares and Figueiredo emphasized their pride in their home country.
“There’s still Cape Verdeans out there who are still pushing for our country, and are trying to make our country look good on the world stage,” Soares said.
