All the athletes at the London Olympics are focused on the moment when they can bring home the gold to their respective countries. Without a plan for life after the games, what happens next is often far less heroic. You might see these elite athletes endorsing cereal or sandwiches, rubbing elbows with costumed characters at Disneyland or, like Bruce Jenner, playing dad to a passel of Kardashians.
Kristi Yamaguchi empathizes. The 1992 Olympic gold medal winner in women’s figure skating said she was single-minded in her goal from childhood.
"I was just into the sport and focused on the task at hand, especially at the Olympic level. It’s only every four years when you have that showcase, so there’s so much focus on that moment. I did try to do as well as I could in school so there would be options after my skating career," she said by phone from her Northern California home.
Even so, Yamaguchi said serious thoughts about a post-Olympic career didn’t start "until I was there. I was only 20 at the Olympics (in Albertville, France). When you’re that age, you feel you have the whole world in front of you."
It helped that unlike many athletes, champion figure skaters have a natural venue for their athleticism and skills in traveling ice-skating shows.
"I always knew I wanted a performance career in skating after the Olympics and thought I’d have at least a five-year career doing that," she said.
Along the way she married National Hockey League star Bret Hedican, gave birth to two daughters and started writing children’s books, all the while staying in the public eye with her mirror-ball-trophy-winning stint on "Dancing with the Stars," spokeswoman duties for entities such as Smucker’s and the American Lung Association, and continuing her ties with the skating world as a television commentator, including three NBC skating specials coming up in the fall.
Now she’s adding fashion designer to her list of accomplishments, launching an activewear line, Tsu.ya, (derived from her middle name, Tsuya) for women, including busy moms like herself who want to look good while feeling comfortable running errands and running after little ones.
It was never about avoiding unflattering paparazzi photos or warding off ill fashion commentary. "I try not to worry about people judging me. I just have a fondness for fashion and enjoy being on trend," Yamaguchi said. "I’ve always been interested in fashion and thought that someday I would do something with fashion. At the same time, I’m always looking for different ways to raise funds for my Always Dream Foundation to sustain the work we do, and I’ve really been inspired by companies like Newman’s Own and TOMS Shoes, where there’s a philanthropic connection to a product."
With Always Dream she’s turned her personal motto into a vehicle to provide inspirational and educational opportunities to help children fulfill their dreams. A portion of Tsu.ya sales will support children’s education through the foundation.
She’s launching her line with an 18-piece collection of yoga pants, leggings, jackets, T-shirts and tops that will be available at select Lord & Taylor stores on the East Coast and online at lordandtaylor.com and kristiyamaguchi.com beginning Sept. 6.
Although her jackets appear to be form-fitting, they’re cleverly designed to be accommodating and body-enhancing, with such details as four-way stretch performance and moisture-wicking fabrics, elongating vertical lines and curve-flattering shirring.
While this marks her first foray into a mass-produced collection, Yamaguchi is an old pro at clothing collaborations, able to tell designers exactly what she was looking for in her competition costumes.
"Being in a sport where costumes play such a big role gave me an eye for fashion. I can look back at some costumes and say, ‘I can’t believe I wore that,’ but that’s natural because times and fashion change."
She’s hoping her chic, modern, linear styles will carry wearers through many seasons, but she hasn’t left her colorful skating persona behind completely. You’ll also find a touch of bling in hardware and a few rhinestone accents.
Then there are animal-print fabrics splashed with bright pink in unapologetic tops or peeking out from the lining of a jacket.
