Sportswear , what is it? Simply the contraction of two words (“ sport ” and “ wear” , “to wear” in English) to designate “sports or sports style clothing”, according to the Encyclopaedia Universalis. This fashion concept is part of the athleisure trend which aims to wear sports clothing (joggings, sweatshirts, bras, etc.) on a daily basis, outside of sporting activities.

Sportswear appeared in Europe after the Second World War. The constraints linked to the practice of sports of the time are felt; new equipment is then designed so that athletes are more comfortable in their clothing and are no longer hampered in their performance.
In 1920, the Chanel and Patou houses became precursors of a trend that would become a fashion statement : they launched “casual” fashion and presented in their fashion shows pullovers, cardigans and other sweatshirts, freeing women from their shackles. – and her corsets. Patou, for example, dressed the tennis player Suzanne Lenglen in her “couture” tennis shorts to ignore the unconditional long, then pleated, skirts of the time. Sportswear continued to develop in the 1950s: sportswear was then seen as elegant pieces (crocodile polo shirt, dress and white “tennis” sneakers, etc.) 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 was as comfortable as it was elastic to create suitable clothing. In the 1970s, the practice of sport became more democratic, notably through other socio-cultural trends, such as hip-hop; Nike took the sneaker away from the basketball courts to make it a casual fashion item, and the tracksuit, initially worn to cover the sports outfit before the competition, became legion for the fashionistas of the time. However, beyond sport, "fashion designers are deconstructing and adapting the traditional image of sportswear, to better suggest a certain ideal of youth and vitality in daily life", according to the British author and fashion consultant. Marnie Fogg.

So, sportswear, a simple lesson in style, or a real makeover?