How Sports Have Impacted Fashion
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As an FSU student, athleisure is always around. Students can be seen wearing the jerseys of their favorite teams all around campus. Sports have a history in the fashion world, and they have been around for a long time. In recent years, sports fashion has found its way into the high fashion industry. Exploring the history of different sports and their fashion trends can be the answer to how sports fashion has remained so relevant throughout our lives.
Tennis is seen as the golden child of sports fashion. Since the 70s, players like Arthur Ashe have brought fashion into the sport. Ashe made his own clothing brand inspired by the styles he wore on the court. Leopard print patterns and bold stripes are among the styles he's worn for almost half a century. In today's culture, we still see the influence of tennis couture. Brands like Lacoste constantly create new designs and collaborate with other big names to keep their style relevant. Depop alone has reported a 218 percent increase in the search “tennis polo” between March and July 2022. Tennis is a heavy hitter for sports fashion, and its influence is forever in history.
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Soccer has become the newest trend in the sports fashion crossover. This all started when soccer was introduced to Paris Fashion Week Spring 2018, in which jerseys and scarves inspired by the sport were found on models walking the runway for both Versace and Balenciaga. These pieces, originally worn by fans of the sport, are now taking the runway and leading the way for soccer’s influence on fashion.
Virgil Abloh took the stage at Art Basel to host a “social studies” workshop that included a segment on the cultural value of soccer jerseys. Soccer jerseys have had their own moment in high fashion, specifically back in 2018 OFF-WHITE would team up with Nikelab to create soccer jerseys. These jerseys were part of a bigger collaboration that Virgil Abloh named, “Mon Amour”. This collection also came out with a matching set of cleats that soccer superstar Kylian Mbappe would wear during his match against Monaco back in March 2018. This collab wasn’t the last time a soccer club teamed up with a big brand, as Adidas and Manchester United teamed up with Balenciaga for a creative take on the classic jersey. This was a part of Balenciaga’s AW20 collection where they went into the Adidas soccer vault and took inspiration from old tracksuits and oversized retro kits.
Image Courtesy: Men's Journal
This isn't where sports fashion stops; brands will continue to influence athletic wear with their creative designs. Fashion is changing every day, and trends could go anywhere. Currently, the emerging oversized vintage soccer jerseys are dominating the UK with their bright and bold designs. Fashion is truly everchanging, and the digital era allows anyone to share their style, we will have to see what sport takes the spotlight next.
Strike Out,
Writer: Adrian Botton
Editor: Noelle Knowlton
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