The sportswear colonizes the male dressing these last years. And this is not a bad thing.
Sportswear, which is sportswear, has made a big change in the way we dress in recent years. To sum it up, comfort is the new cool. Designers and stylists are focusing more and more on technical products, sportswear, trekking and hiking clothes are on top of the podiums.
The good news is that it is now possible to combine sports shopping with style. The clothes you buy for your next trail run can also be used for outdoor hikes.
Sportswear is no longer just casual. Even if you work in an office, chances are you're wearing a pair of sneakers and a sweatshirt hanging on the back of your chair over a raincoat. The advent of sportswear can be seen in the fact that today, it is possible to look good in clothes that were originally designed for physical exertion.
Fashion being essentially a cycle with variations through time, this trend is not new. We remember René Lacoste's innovation in the 1920's with his tennis polo, which was taken up by Ralph Lauren and then other brands. Wearing sportswear in everyday life is a habit that your grandfather already had.
The renaissance of sportswear
The sportsweat as a new casual is a trend coming from the preppy movement. The preppy movement appreciated the hard-wearing and practical qualities of sportswear and introduced sweatshirts, jogging suits and sports jackets into the men's wardrobe.
Just like the military uniform (which largely inspired the men's dressing room), sportswear has long been appreciated for its robustness. And in sports, as in war, victory is often achieved through technological breakthroughs. Thus, what is worn on a battlefield or a field has evolved faster than any other type of clothing. So if spotswear is now at the forefront of fashion today, it's because it always has been in technical terms.
The advent of sportswear is also explained by a reaction in opposition to the sartorial movement (understand suit fashion) that followed the 2008 crisis and the increased competition to find a job. With the job market doing a little better, especially in the US, the professional dress code has become more relaxed.
Finally, the increased emphasis on personal creativity (boosted by social networks) has brought sportswear to the top of the trend.
The luxury sector has a lot to do with the advent of sportswear. Houses such as Balanciaga or Vuitton have elevated clothes previously considered utilitarian to the rank of must-have.
The advent of sportswear
Running or trail shoes, sweatshirts and technical jackets are currently among the most sought-after products in men's style. And this trend may well last.
Having entered the dictionary (at least in the English-speaking world), athleisure seems to be a new pillar of men's style. We can legitimately expect a return of the suit (fashion being, once again, a story of cycles), but it will probably be mixed with athleisure style clothes. We can for example think of technical fabrics, drawstring closures or running shoes to accompany it. The concept of performance applies today to work as well as to sports: why would we want to go back to office clothes that have not evolved much in the last decades, that require impeccable ironing or even dry cleaning and that keep us too tight and warm?
Sportswear offers comfort and ease of care on a daily basis that would be hard to do without today.
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