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W W W. M A I N E B I Z . B I Z 21 D E C E M B E R 1 6 , 2 0 2 4 M A N U FA C T U R I N G T he US athletes at the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games wore Ralph Lauren jeans and jackets during the opening and closing ceremonies. What's of local interest is that two family-owned Maine manufacturers played a significant role in the creation of Team USA's fashion presence. Rancourt, of Lewiston, produced the buck white suede shoes. Rogue Industries, of Standish, manufactured the belts. "We're proud to support local American manufacturing in the development of Ralph Lauren's parade uniforms to bring unique specialties and distinctly American perspectives to the table," says Tom Hunter, the corporate communications lead for Ralph Lauren, which has been the official outfitter for the U.S. Olympics and Paralympics since 2008. Ralph Lauren engages a range of local vendors and partners to source high-quality fabrics and technologies from the U.S. to develop the Team USA uniforms. is year, it partnered for the fourth time with Rancourt to manufacture the shoes for the US athletes. It was the first time Ralph Lauren partnered with Rogue Industries. "Rogue Industries and Rancourt are examples of family-owned opera- tions in Maine that have a reputation in producing incredibly high-quality goods," says Hunter. "In engaging local manufacturers for the belt and shoes for the 2024 uniforms, Rancourt and Rogue Industries' "Made in Maine' focus, and their commitment to incredible quality made them both a natural fit as two of the partners contributing to Ralph Lauren's Team USA uniforms." Shoemaking in the 'sole' of Lewiston Before Team USA athletes could walk in the white suede shoes, their journey began at a factory in Lewison, which has a long history of shoemaking. e Rancourt family has been craft- ing moccasins for three generations, going back to 1967. Mike Rancourt has led the company with his son Kyle since 2009. Rancourt produced shoes worn in Olympic games in Brazil, Tokyo and Beijing. "Ralph Lauren was our first customer for Rancourt & Co. in 2009," says Rancourt. "I had a close contact at Ralph Lauren and they weren't happy with the supplier they were using in the United States and they asked if I would be willing to do business with them. For our first Olympics, we made red, white and blue boat shoes." In 2023, Ralph Lauren asked Rancourt to come up with a new design, which is how the manufacturer came up with a white buck suede shoe. All of the shoes are handmade in the Lewiston factory. "From a quality-control point of view, it is as rigid as you'll find in the shoe business and so extraordinarily demand- ing," says Rancourt. "Ralph Lauren has an expectation system … Anytime you start a new product — if you are a maker, it doesn't matter what you make — your first production on new products is where you're really learning. "We didn't have a lot of room for error," he continues. "But once you get through that, everyone starts to learn the Teaming up with RALPH LAUREN US Olympic ceremonial outfit gets some help from Maine manufacturers B y A l e x i s W e l l s Rogue Industries and Rancourt are examples of family-owned operations in Maine that have a reputation in producing incredibly high-quality goods. — Tom Hunter Ralph Lauren C O N T I N U E D O N F O L L OW I N G PA G E » F O C U S Rancourt, owned by Mike Rancourt, made the white buck shoe used in the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2024 Paris Olympics. P H O T O / C O U R T E S Y O F R A L P H L A U R E N Team USA previously wore Rancourt boots at the closing ceremony of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. P H O T O / C O U R T E S Y O F R A N C O U R T

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