Assistant Chef de Mission of the Australian Paralympic Team, Tony Narr, wore this ceremonial uniform in 2000 as a staff member of the Australian Paralympic Team. Comprising a colour-block jacket, a three quarter-length t-shirt, drill pants and a bucket hat, the uniform differed noticeably from earlier ceremonial uniforms that seemed conservative or excessively patriotic in comparison. This particular example is missing the hat and the Nike Presto sports shoes. Designed by Yakka Australia and two post-graduate students from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT), the uniform catered to the needs of disabled athletes and, at the same time, presented a contemporary, casual image.
Using fabric from Woolmark, Yakka manufactured the ceremonial, formal and casual uniforms for the 2000 Australian Paralympic Team, and involved RMIT students, Alex Hocking and Heather Saltmarsh, in the design process. Their contributions commenced in early 2000 after winning a Yakka competition to assist with the uniform design. The team, comprising Hocking, Saltmarsh and Kate Kennedy from Yakka, interviewed numerous Paralympic athletes before it revised the jacket and trousers, making these more functional.
In this process, the jacket gained a drawstring waist, making the garment easier for wheelchair athletes to slip on and fasten, and zip-out sleeves that made dressing easier for athletes with prosthetic arms. This feature also enabled athletes to wear the garment as a vest or jacket, customising it to suit their needs. The Australian coat of arms was raised on the jackets of wheelchair athletes, making the insignia more visible. In addition, the trousers were altered to exclude back and side pockets, ensuring that wheelchair athletes could access their pockets easily and without the risk of catching their fingers in chair wheels. Hip pockets and cargo-style pockets therefore became the accepted styles. Legs were tapered slightly to prevent the trousers from seeming too bulky on the wheelchair athletes.
The principal colours of the uniform - jade, orange, tan and charcoal - reflected the earthen tones of the Australian landscape, while the jade and orange jacket also referenced the two-tone logo of the Australian Paralympic Committee (APC). Yakka and the APC finalised the ceremonial uniform in mid 2000, and then began an extensive program to measure and fit all potential Paralympic athletes. The ceremonial, formal and informal uniforms were distributed to the 430 staff and athletes soon after, with the ceremonial uniform making its first public appearance on 18 October 2000 at the opening ceremony of the Sydney 2000 Paralympic Games.
The ceremonial uniform for the Sydney 2000 Paralympic Games was designed by Kate Kennedy at Yakka Australia and two post-graduate students in fashion design from the Royal Melbourne Institue of Technology, Alex Hocking and Heather Saltmarsh. Through an extensive process of consultation and revision, they designed a uniform that met the specific needs of disabled athletes. The uniform comprised a colour-block jacket, a three quarter-length t-shirt, drill pants and a bucket hat, and broke away from the conservative, patriotic designs of previous Paralympic uniforms.
Clothing company, Yakka Australia, manufactured the ceremonial, formal and informal uniforms for the 2000 Australian Paralympic team. Woolmark supplied the fabrics, including an innovative cotton and wool drill, and a wool and polyester blend, called 'Sportwool', which draws moisture away from the body.
Assistant Chef de Mission of the Australian Paralympic Team, Tony Narr, wore this ceremonial uniform in 2000 as a staff member of the Australian Paralympic Team. Narr first wore the uniform at the opening ceremony, on 18 October 2000, and then at the closing ceremony on 29 October 2000.
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