What is sportswear? Simply the contraction of two words (“sport” and “wear,” meaning “to wear” in English) to refer to “sports or sport-style clothing,” according to the Encyclopaedia Universalis. This fashion concept is part of the athleisure trend, which aims to wear sports clothing (jogging pants, sweatshirts, bras…) in everyday life, outside of sports practice.

Sportswear made its appearance in Europe after World War II. The constraints related to sports practice at the time were felt; new equipment was then designed to make athletes more comfortable in their clothing and no longer hinder their performance.
In 1920, the Houses of Chanel and Patou became pioneers of a trend that would become a fashion statement: they launched “casual” fashion and showcased in their fashion shows pullovers, vests, and other sweatshirts that liberated women from their constraints – and corsets. Patou, for example, dressed tennis player Suzanne Lenglen in his “couture” tennis shorts to defy the long, then pleated skirts of the time. Sportswear continued to develop in the 1950s: sports clothing was then perceived as elegant pieces (polo shirts with crocodiles, dresses, and white “tennis” sneakers…) and continued to contribute to the emancipation of women. During this period, new sports such as surfing, skateboarding, jogging, and fitness emerged, encouraged by the arrival of Lycra, an innovative material that is as comfortable as it is elastic for creating suitable clothing. In the 1970s, sports practice became democratized, notably through other sociocultural trends, such as hip-hop; Nike moved the sneaker away from basketball courts to make it a casual fashion piece, and the tracksuit, initially worn to cover sportswear before competition, became ubiquitous among the fashionistas of the time. However, beyond sports, “fashion designers deconstruct and adapt the traditional image of sportswear to better suggest a certain ideal of youth and vitality in everyday life,” according to British author and fashion consultant Marnie Fogg.

So, is sportswear simply a lesson in style, or a true fountain of youth?