A Brief History of Style in Sport, Fashion’s Slam-dunk Relationship with Athletics
Welcome to the 136th insertion of DEMUR®, an analytical series highlighting the intricacies of the artistic world and the minutiae lying within. In this episode, we look at fashion's most overlooked partnership, stepping on the field to examine style’s placement in athletics and sport.
In a day and age where micro-trends dominate social platforms, it’s easy to forget the many influences that helped in shaping today’s culture. From anti-fashion’s consuming silhouettes to Christian Dior’s decade-defining ‘new look’, our modern era may stand as history’s most diverse and culturally rich. While technology has surely advanced this unifying movement, our stylistic tie falls back into the hands of sports, on your favourite player's feet, hats and jerseys.
To grasp the depths of fashion’s tie with athletics, we must first travel back a hundred years to the 1920’s. As skiing and tennis became the elite’s game of choice, fashion quickly followed, appearing in country club’s preppy, resort-like style. Chanel would begin her sportswear line as early as 1913, which would soon leech into similarly opulent activities like skiing and golf. Flat caps and neckties overthrew men's attire, while button-downs and knee skirts outfitted women.
Soon after, brands like New Era would begin producing custom apparel for MLB teams, igniting a bidding war for manufacturers as they reached for league-wide deals. The only issue was that the clothing seen on screen wasn’t publicly available, a critical oversight that was only addressed in 1973. Releasing the world’s first signature shoe in part with the New York Nicks Clyde Frazier, Puma would monopolize sports apparel forever, prompting relationships between athletes and corporations like Nike’s ‘Jordan’ silhouettes.
With a new approach to sportswear marketing, sub-cultures latched onto these partnerships. We’d see hip-hop godfathers like Tupac in Red Wings hockey jerseys, and witness brands like Oakley rise in the world of track and field. Even today, countless brands like Stussy and Supreme continue to highlight fashion’s placement in athletics.
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