Updated 2021: When was Sportswear in Fashion Trends?
Adoring oneself with beautiful clothes has been the practice or ritual from a very early age. A hundred years ago, good-looking attires were only made for the cream of society. There was not a trend of sportswear, yet people used to wear different kinds of clothes while playing a game. Professional players would wear a bit of loose clothing while the general people wore the same clothes while working, running, or jumping. At that time, except for the professionals, games, and sports were only meant for children. Adults had to work hard even during their leisure time. However, urbanization brought changes, men started to wear special kinds of clothes as an audience to enjoy a particular game. Gradually, the women followed the trend.
Beginning of Sportswear
When sports became a regular recreational activity for people of all ages, some clothing brands like Meeko started producing a special kind of clothes for sports. There were still only two or three brands who would produce the ‘sportswear’.
Well, sports clothing items were not the same as now, as they were made for sports like lawn tennis, and for cricket players mostly. When the brands started to realize that while doing such activities as running or jogging, people need something very comfortable rather than loose clothes and also something very fashionable that would help them to remain steady and comfortable during any physical activity, then the need for sportswear aroused.
As you can see, different kinds of clothes for sports existed there as a fashion, but the trend of sportswear started a bit later — when people started to have enough time to take care of their health by involving in various physical activities. So, the trend of sportswear in fashion is not new, nor it will be outdated. Want to know why? Then you need to scroll down and go through the details.
Sportswear in Fashion
The early evolution of sportswear leads us here, where every active person wants sportswear that is limited editioned. You do not want your tanks to match with the other girl in the gym. So, you wear shoes, a sports bra and gym shorts with a special quotation or design illustrated on them. Now People want to reflect their attitude and personality through their clothes. Needless to say, the sportswear trend has totally become dependent on what the customers desire.
Now everyone has too many options to choose from. Sportswear fashion is available in all sizes and price ranges. The sportswear business is no longer in the hands of high-end brands only. Instead, the professional athletes are diving into the industry with their own logo and design. The fans are joining the craze as well as they want to wear the sportswear of their favorite athletes.
Ramp shows are now packed with showcasing different kinds of sportswear. Magazine, newspaper, or television—the advertisements of sportswear are everywhere which has made the sportswear business a competitive field.
Money as a Deal-breaker
The sportswear industry has turned into a battlefield as the market has become more competitive than ever before. Some brands are offering sportswear at $100 and another brand is offering almost the same sportswear at $10. Still, the trend of getting premium sportswear is not outdated and it will not be in the future. The more money you have, the more expensive and elegant sportswear you can have.
Nowadays, spending a couple of hundreds on gym shoes does not seem much of a deal because people are prioritizing more on trendy or fashionable clothes. Some brands are now selling exclusive sportswear at a sky-high price with the assurance of 100% comfort. Unlike the old days, people now have an extra closet for sportswear, not because they are easily accessible but wearing sportswear is a trend that never gets old.
Types of Sportswear in Fashion
Now in 2021, a myriad of brands are launching a thousand types of sportswear. From tank tops to capri pants, each one of them has a variation. From the very beginning of sports tank production, they occupy everyone’s favorite closet’s shelf. Still, now tank tops are considered an essential type of activewear for women because they are comfortable for running gym sessions while granting the best timeless appearance.
Long-sleeved tops from Meeko provide the opportunity to ditch the old tank tops for the women who want to workout covering their arms. These shirts are trendy not because of their unique style but also because they are wonderful to outwear for warming-up activities. Besides, they are made of supreme materials to stick to your body and ensure maximum comfort while working out.
Another sports outfit that women love right after tank tops is Racerbacks. Similar to tank tops, they are more comfortable to wear and provides extra support around the shoulder blades so that the athletic women get more mobility to stretch their arms.
Now, we did not forget about the sweat pants, you can call it old-school but in the gym, you will see 50% of women wearing sweatpants and not complaining about the style. These sweatpants have been on the market since 1920. Men and women both prefer sweatpants. The trend of baggy jeans in the fashion industry made the sweat pants more prominent. This heavy-knitted pant is great for winter to keep your body warm.
In this new decade, sweat shorts are also getting popular. They provide the same comfort just like sweat pants but dry faster. Adidas and Nike are major manufacturers of these types of short sweat pants guaranteeing the maximum comfort level.
In the end, we have the least popular sportswear among the gymgoers and the most popular one among yoga lovers—Sports leggings from Meeko. During winter, you might notice women wearing leggings because these are capable of warming your body within a short while. Women with flexibility prefer these leggings because they are like 2nd skin, which allows them to make every flexible move easily. Well, leggings are kind of new outfit in fashion, it got popular when people started taking yoga classes.
Sportswear as an American invention
As we said earlier, the trend of wearing sportswear was always there in fashion but the kind of sportswear we wear right now is the invention of American women.
For the last 100 years, sportswear is considered the basic need for women who lead a healthy life. During the 1940s and 1950s in California, women started to wear a new and updated version of sportswear. Soon they became the activewear of higher and middle-class people.
A new tradition sprouted as the women started to participate in all kinds of sports, such as tennis, golf, and swimming. As a result, brands started to design different types of sportswear for each type of game. The wardrobes of 1960s women started to fill with all kinds of casual sportswear. Gradually, it became a necessity for occasional wear.
This revolution in women’s sportswear occurred mostly because almost 80—90% of the sportswear designers were American women. They understood the women’s needs and introduced a new kind of sportswear that actually supported women of the mid-90s through all kinds of physical activities.
Since then, these types of outlooks have been the trend-setters. In the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s, the designers and brands like Anne Klein, Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren, Bill Blass, Geoffrey Beene, etc., brought significant changes to the table. As a result, the sportswear becomes more sharp and contoured, comfortable, and durable. The base of sportswear has since been evolving every year. But it is needless to say that the major transition in sportswear occurred at the hands of American tailors and designers.
From 2010 to 2018, athleisure sales were sky high in the sports industry. The last couple of years did not see much growth because the desire for typical sportswear is being deceased. People are now looking for something unique and personalized.
Thanks to the immense development of e-commerce sites, brands are finding more innovative ways to hook new customers. They are now targeting a particular group of customers and creating sportswear that is more acceptable to them.
The fitness fashion industry did not die, nor it is in a miserable condition—it is moving at its own pace. Even in the foreseeable future, it will grow bigger than the present day.
Final words
The sportswear fashion industry is indeed a lucrative field. Even after thousands of brands in the market, the percentage of making progress is still high for someone new in the field. To become successful in the sportswear business, you just need to understand the trend and time we are living in and develop your ideas accordingly.