Most athletes leave the Olympics with medals and a legacy. Ilia Malinin left with a fashion controversy and a business idea. The uproar over his jeans on the Olympic ice wasn’t a distraction, but a revelation. For the three-time consecutive figure skating world champion, the uproar handed him a new path.

All it took was an individual routine with several uncharacteristic mistakes and a walk into the Olympic gala wearing $1,100 Balmain jeans. He did his signature quadruple axis and a flip in the jeans and oversized grey hoodie. Malinin didn’t quite realise just how big the Milan Games were going to be for him, on and off the rink. Yet, he decided to capitalize on it, changing things completely post the event.

“I assumed that the Olympics would be big and the program itself would be big, but the controversy behind the jeans was crazy,” Malinin told Cero. “It actually helped me a lot in the long run to go more into the style, fashion, and [becoming] a part of that world.”

After all, Ilia Malinin was the name on the lips of every American going into the Olympics. Who can blame them, though? The 21-year-old was on a two-year undefeated streak, held two consecutive World Championships medals, and had just led Team USA to the figure skating team gold. It left only the individual gold, but by then, Malinin had already gone viral. Not for his eventual eighth-place finish but for his clothes.

He would eventually make headlines for both, and now plans to make the most of the viral fame. This is partly because it would establish his place in the current hierarchy and partly because this is what Malinin wants to do, long-term.

“I’m going to restart my merch brand and revamp it,” Malinin explained to Cero magazine. “I really want to collab with different brands or artists to make a signature piece! I have the idea of turning [my pieces] into a clothing brand and having a merch line as well, and also starting my own clothes [line] or designing outfits for people in the future.”

His interests have always lain on the more creative rather than analytical side of things, and it’s largely why Malinin wants to take a potential break. The 21-year-old hasn’t confirmed his plans, although he is mulling over taking a “bit longer of a break’. That’s partly to cool down and partly to focus on his life off the rink, with academics among his future goals.

But beyond academics, he also wants to follow in Alysa Liu‘s footsteps. The other superstar from the Winter Olympics, Liu turned her love for fashion and her viral fame into a brand sponsorship. The 20-year-old recently became Louis Vittion’s brand ambassador and has also made appearances at multiple fashion shows, including Paris Fashion Week. For Malinin, that seems to be the goal.

“Prada is on my list. I want to work with luxury brands like Versace, Gucci, and Dior,” he said. It’s not a pipe dream, given the fame that the American figure skaters garnered after the Milan Olympics. Many expected it to die down by now, but the Stars on Ice tour remains sold out. That’s mainly thanks to the fact that Liu and Ilia Malinin headline the tour alongside the likes of Amber Glenn, Isabeau Levito, and company.

Yet, before the fashion collabs and luxury brand meetings, there’s still a rink to return to. However, not even Ilia Malinin knows when that return to the rink will happen.

Ilia Malinin opens up on his plans for the 2026/27 season

The 2025/26 season was an emotional rollercoaster for Ilia Malinin. He kicked it off by continuing his winning streak, earning gold in every event he participated in until the Olympics. There, slated to walk away with another clean sweep, the pressure got to the American. While he led Team USA to an Olympic gold medal in the team event, Malinin faltered in the individual event.

It marked a startling loss for the favourite. It was the first time in nearly five years that he hadn’t made the podium in an event. Even then, Ilia Malinin picked himself up, stepped into the World Championships, and walked away with gold. It was the performance of a lifetime from the 21-year-old and one many expected at the Olympics.

Yet, the question remains: what about the 2026/27 season? The answer to that question eludes Malinin himself. That’s mainly because the 21-year-old will go off of how he feels in the moment, and is in no rush to make that decision.

“It’s just off of feeling, I think is the best way to put it,” Malinin told USA Today. “If I feel like I want to get back to competing, then sure. If not, then I guess not. So it’s really just gonna see how everything leads up to that moment.”

Right now, he’s just enjoying skating free and without any expectations. The 21-year-old is currently headlining a constantly sold-out Stars on Ice tour across the United States. He will join Alysa Liu, Amber Glenn, Isabeau Levito, and Jacob Sanchez among others. Yet for many, it’s the Quad God they’ve come to see, and he has more than delivered.

“Performing for the audience and not having any expectations of what to do. Just really be myself out there and show them who Ilia is,” he said of the tour. Now, as it turns out, the jeans were never the story; they were simply the opening act. Now, Malinin is figuring out exactly what kind of show comes next.