[Many thanks to Peter Jordens for bringing this item to our attention.] Jacqueline Charles (Miami Herald) explains the history behind Haiti’s Winter Olympic uniform, designed by Italian Haitian designer Stella Jean, and based on a painting by Haitian artist Edouard Duval-Carrié. The uniform for Team Haiti had to be redesigned to remove the figure of Toussaint Louverture.
When Haiti’s two-person Olympic team files into the stadium on Friday for the opening ceremony of the Milan Cortina Winter Games, Italian-Haitian designer Stella Jean hopes the scene will highlight not the rarity of the moment, rather the Caribbean nation’s cultural identity and perseverance. Jean, who designed Haiti’s uniforms for the 2024 Paris Games, now part of the Olympic Museum’s collection, has once more drawn inspiration from Haitian artistry and history to inspire its athletes and tell another chapter of its story.
This time, her muse was a painting by Miami-based Haitian artist Edouard Duval-Carrié depicting the revolutionary hero Toussaint Louverture on horseback, charging into battle. The horse is red and in Toussaint’s hand, a sword transformed into a snake. In Vodou tradition, the snake symbolizes Danbala, the great spirit of wisdom, peace and purity.
The mixed-media portrait was painted more than 20 years ago, and among many Duval-Carrié has done of the leader. But this one, “is the very symbol of the Haitian spirit,” Jean said in an interview with the Miami Herald shortly after arriving in Milan.
[. . .] Jean spent nearly a year working on the uniforms, only to be told last month that the image of Haiti’s founding father violated the International Olympic Committee rules prohibiting political, religious or racial propaganda at Olympic venues and on uniforms. “Two hundred years later?” Duval-Carrié quipped, reacting to the decision. “It’s amazing that Toussaint would represent a political statement.”
Nevertheless, the IOC’s objection set off a brief panic—and a creative scramble—as Jean faced a tight deadline, no budget and the challenge of preserving her message without diluting Haiti’s history. “For 24 hours, I said, ‘It’s over; they won’t have any uniform,’” she said. “But then I also thought that what brought us here was Haitian art, Haitian culture, Haitian excellence. So many human factors that helped us to be there.” [. . .]
Gone is the figure of Toussaint, but his red horse remains, charging against a lush tropical background. The word “Haiti” is emblazoned across the back against a blue sky on the tops. “This painting has the two colors of the flag, red and blue,” Jean said. “You can immediately recognize it.” For the rest of the delegation, including trainers and support staff, she has also designed a turban-like head wrap inspired by the tignon that emerged after the French colonizers forced enslaved African women to cover their hair, to appease their jealous wives, in what was then known as Saint-Domingue, France’s richest colony.
The head wrap later became its own fashion statement, along with the skirts with pockets that Jean also designed to pay homage to the outfits worn by Haiti’s street market vendors. “Every single piece in this uniform has a specific historical meaning for it,” she said.
Inspired by history
For the athletes, Jean could have chosen not just from any number of Haitian masters, but also from many of Duval-Carrié’s works drawn from Haitian history. She selected Toussaint and his red horse, she said, because they symbolize pride and perseverance. [. . .]
[Photo above: The official Olympic Team uniform for Team Haiti for the Milan Cortina Winter Games. Courtesy of Stella Jean.]
For full article, see https://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/world/americas/haiti/article314594632.html
Also read “Haiti’s Winter Olympics team shines a positive light even as IOC removes patriot from uniforms” by Colleen Barry and Fernanda Figueroa, AP News, February 3, 2026
https://apnews.com/article/haiti-olympics-uniforms-winter-games-diversity-f85baa15a623fadbc15569325efc61b5
Other related articles, courtesy of Peter Jordens:
Haiti’s Winter Olympic uniforms are breaking the internet
Kerane Marcellus, Essence, February 5, 2026
https://www.essence.com/news/haiti-winter-olympics-uniforms
Haiti’s 2026 Olympic Uniform sparks controversy over history, fashion and “neutrality”
Jonathan Giles, Ebony, February 6, 2026
https://www.ebony.com/haiti-2026-olympics-uniform-controversy
Haiti’s hand-painted Winter Olympics uniforms are a ‘story of resistance’
Jo Lawson-Tancred, Artnet, February 6, 2026
https://news.artnet.com/art-world/haiti-winter-olympics-2743597
Winter Olympics 2026: The story behind the design of Haiti’s stunning Olympic uniforms
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https://www.olympics.com/en/milano-cortina-2026/news/winter-olympics-2026-the-story-behind-the-design-of-haiti-s-stunning-olympic-uniforms
Winter Olympics 2026: Stella Jean on Haiti’s viral political kit
Isobel Van Dyke, Dazed, February 6, 2026
https://www.dazeddigital.com/fashion/article/69582/1/winter-olympics-2026-stella-jean-haiti-viral-political-kit
Haiti just won the fashion game at the opening ceremonies
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https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/06/world/europe/haiti-olympics-fashion.html
‘Symbol of the Haitian spirit’: The story behind Haiti’s Winter Olympic uniform
Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, February 6, 2026
https://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/world/americas/haiti/article314594632.html
Haiti makes Winter Olympics history in hand-painted uniforms that celebrate Caribbean heritage
BellaNaija.com, February 9, 2026
https://www.bellanaija.com/2026/02/haiti-winter-olympics-2026-stella-jean-uniforms
IOC forces Haiti to remove founding patriot from Olympic uniforms
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https://macon.binnews.com/content/2026-02-10-ioc-forces-haiti-to-remove-founding-patriot-from-olympic-uniforms
[Many thanks to Peter Jordens for bringing this item to our attention.] Jacqueline Charles (Miami Herald) explains the history behind Haiti’s Winter Olympic uniform, designed by Italian Haitian designer Stella Jean, and based on a painting by Haitian artist Edouard Duval-Carrié. The uniform for Team Haiti had to be redesigned to remove the figure of
