Cedella Marley to design Jamaica’s Olympic team gear
PARIS, France (AFP) — When Jamaican athletics great Usain Bolt takes part in next year’s Olympic opening ceremony in London he along with his teammates will be dressed by the daughter of another Jamaican legend, the late reggae singer Bob Marley.
His daughter Cedella told The Times that the strip would be a mix of ‘Grace Jones meets my Dad’.
“Everything looks fabulous. I can’t tell you what the Marley touch is, that would be giving it away, but we come from life, we love to be vibrant,” the 44-year-old mother of three told The Times from her Miami home.
“I love playing with patterns, playing with textures.
“If you look at Dad and the I Threes (his backing vocalists) and Grace Jones and put that together, you can get an idea for the look and feel of the collection.”
Marley, the second of Bob’s 11 children and who was 13 when her father died of cancer, said that one album of her father’s had particularly influenced her design.
“When I listened to the music, especially when designing the collection, I was into stuff from the Catch a Fire album.
“I listened to songs like Burnin and Lootin. They aren’t angry songs, but it’s talking about a rebellion, it’s more of a rebel’s eye.”
Marley, whose father’s most famous singles hits numbered No Woman No Cry and Jamming, said that she was relieved given 100m and 200m world record holder Bolt’s brief appearances on the track that she had also been commissioned to design the suits for the opening and closing ceremonies in London.
“He’ll (Bolt) be moving so fast, you’ll probably see him on track for less than 10 seconds,” admitted Marley, who has carried the flame of the family’s charity 1 Love which has attracted superstar supporters such as Lady Gaga and Elton John.
“So I’m happy that they have also asked me to design opening ceremony and podium wear.”
Marley, whose family charity has helped out among other causes earthquake relief in Japan and the latest project a partnership with Save The Children in support of famine relief in East Africa, is intrigued by the fact another daughter of a music legend Stella McCartney has been hired to design the British team’s garb.
“Stella and Cedella is cool and kind of weird,” said Marley, who admits she has never met her rival, though, she has bought a lot of her clothes.
Marley said that Bolt and his teammates were simply carrying on a Jamaican tradition in proving they are winners.
“That’s what we do as Marleys and as Jamaicans,” she said.
“We break records and make history. The real pressure is on the athletes. They have the real job.
“All I have to do is make sure they look good while they’re doing it.”