The 'Placard Bearer' uniform was designed by Kristian Fredrikson. The uniform featured in the 2000 Olympic Games Opening Ceremony in the Parade of the Athletes section and in the Closing Ceremony in the Entrance of the Athletes section. This type of uniform was worn by the 210 people who carried the placards bearing the name of each country as the athletes entered the arena.

The uniform features a sports style jacket with extended contrast yoke worn with 'moleskin' style bone cotton trousers and a bone felt hat with an IOC ring pin.

A series of uniform prototypes were tested on camera, indoors and outdoors, over a period of six months. These designs included driza-bones in gold, silver and bronze fabric, complementing the colours of the victory podiums. A prototype of the uniform was manufactured in the Ceremonies Costume Workshop before being manufactured through a fashion manufacturing agent.

Kristian Fredriksons's designs for the Placard Bearers are based on a hybrid of styles such as the American baseball uniform. The uniform had to be designed to suit a variety of figure types and sizes and to retain a uniform yet casual appearance.

Kristian Fredrikson (born 1940) has been at the forefront of performance design in Australia for over five decades. He was appointed Resident Designer at the Melbourne Theatre Company in 1966 and remained in this position for eight years. He has subsequently designed numerous works for the major performing arts companies in Australia, including Opera Australia, Sydney Dance Company, Sydney Theatre Company, Victorian State Opera, Australian Ballet and the Sydney Dance Company.

He has collaborated with many celebrated directors and choreographers such as Dame Peggy Van Praagh, Stanton Welch, George Ogilvie and Graeme Murphy.

Fredrikson has also designed for film and television productions including: 'Undercover', 'Vietnam', 'Dirtwater Dynasty' and 'The Shiralee'.

Awards received by Fredrikson include the Helpmann Award for Best Costume Design (2002) for 'School For Scandal' at the Sydney Theatre Company and the 1999 Australian Dance Award for Services to Dance.

His designs for the Audience Leaders are based on a hybrid of styles such as the American cheerleader uniform. The uniform had to be designed to suit a variety of figure types and sizes and to retain a uniform yet casual appearance.



Maker name Co-ordinated by the Ceremonies Costume Workshop

It was worn by one of 210 individuals who carried the placards bearing the name of each country as the athletes entered the arena in the Opening and Closing Ceremonies.

Presented to the Powerhouse Museum by the Olympic Coordination Authority, on behalf of the NSW Government

Performance costume, 'Placard Bearer', fabric/leather/metal designed by Kristian Fredrikson, made by Drizabone, Blundstone, Bonds, used in the Opening Ceremony of Olympic Games, Sydney, 2000

Consists of a bone coloured moleskin jacket with a red yoke and trim, a blue long sleeved cotton t-shirt, a pair of moleskin trousers, a pair of Blundstone boots, a brown leather belt and a Driza Bone hat.

Made: 2000

2001/84/68

2000