If there were an award for the ‘best-dressed triathlete’ at each race, then Georgia Taylor-Brown would surely have sewn up the World Championship title long before she signed off the season with an impressive T100 runners-up spot in Qatar.
The Olympic gold, silver and bronze medallist has not only impressed with her athletic performances this year, but her fashion sense, eye for design and sheer willingness to have some creative fun have also dazzled and delighted fans and opponents around the world.
Her supposed ‘gap year’ plan to take things a little easier ahead of Olympic qualification for LA2028 didn’t quite work out as planned, with the 31-year-old completing 22 races across a variety of series, including IRONMAN 70.3, WTCS, Supertri and of course the T100.
Life in the fast lane
Having stepped up to middle-distance competition at the end of 2024, she is the first to admit there have been times when she has found the extra miles a tad boring – pointing out that she is more a fan of the ‘fast, ferocious and a bit chaotic’.
Her results, however, have steadily improved with every passing race, and she was able to finish the season with a pair of wins at the Laguna Phuket Triathlon and the 70.3 in Bahrain, as well as her brilliant second place behind T100 World Champion Kate Waugh in her final race of the year in Qatar.
And with every race, there was a different suit: a bespoke suit personally designed by GTB herself, and each one with a subtle nod to the region within which she was competing.
Such is their popularity that big Instagram reveals are now very much anticipated by her 71,000-plus following, and the calls for them to be made available for the public to buy are growing with each one that she competes in.
Fashion inspiration
It is something which may yet happen, as she continues to seek and deliver inspiration in equal measure.
Talking to TRI247, the most decorated female Olympic triathlete of all time, said: “I would love to sell some of the suits I’ve designed, but I would also really encourage anyone to design their own. It’s so cool, and you just feel special wearing a suit that’s just for you. I get excited for racing, knowing I get to wear my suit with my ideas.
“I mainly use Pinterest for inspo. Whatever country I’m racing in, I’ll type it into Pinterest and see what comes up. Sometimes I read travel blogs and see where people are visiting in that country, and then from there, pick one or two ideas I like and go with it.
“I’ll make a board on Pinterest with my ideas. So, for example, in Qatar, I had three ideas – a sea-and-desert-style suit, a ‘spices’ suit with the Arabic spices splashed across the suit or the pearl design. I went with the pearls because we were also staying by the Pearl Quarter in Qatar, and the history of pearls in Qatar is huge.”
An idea which initially started with her partner and fellow pro triathlete Vincent Luis designing his own suit has now progressed into a full-on tradition, with manufacturer Tactic more than happy to facilitate whatever pops into GTB’s mind.
‘It’s really fun to go back and forth’
“With the Dubai one, I pulled images together of the oyster, and we worked on the background of the suit with the colours of the inside of the oyster, and then, of course, added the pearls onto it,” she said. “I draw my idea on paper or on my iPad, and then with those drawings and the images I choose online, I send them to Tactic, and the guy just starts with an idea, and we keep layering and changing.
“It’s really fun to go back and forth and exchange ideas. It’s really exciting doing this part. Then from there they will print the design to see how the colours look on paper and in real life, and then it’s transferred to the actual suit.
“Tactic are amazing; it happens so fast – but I am quite pushy!!! For Qatar, though, I sent my ideas over to them, and the suit was printed and wrapped within five days… It’s quite crazy!”
Picking her favourite is not an easy task, as each of the bespoke suits represents a moment in her season and means something special to her because of the personal connection. And there has only been one where she admits to being slightly nervous about wearing it.
‘The textures were insane’
“I love my Dubai suit with the cake design. When you look closely at that, they managed to make things look 3D. The textures were insane,” she says. “Marbella was also really nice because the images looked sketched, which felt even more personal, like I actually drew on the suit. I do love them all, to be honest; they all mean something different to me.
“I was worried about the first one in London because it was an all-white background, and people kept saying, ‘Whoa, you’re brave wearing that’. Basically, they were concerned for me if I had a bad belly. But actually, I have never pooped in a race, and I don’t plan on doing so. So I think I’m safe.”
With the Olympic qualification period fast approaching, GTB will no doubt be returning to her short-course speciality, having proven beyond any doubt that she has the skill set to compete at the longer distances. But while there will be a change in discipline, the wonderful suits will continue to be designed, produced and worn wherever she competes.
“I haven’t thought about suits for next year yet,” she admits. “But maybe I should because I do put a lot of stress and pressure on Tactic to turn them around fast haha!!!”
