The History of Tracksuits
6th November is International Tracksuit Day!
Our beloved tracksuit has been evolving for nearly a century. This is how we got here.
When Adidas created its first piece of apparel, it was a tracksuit; done in collaboration with German football legend Franz Beckenbauer in 1967. The three iconic white stripes on Adidas tracksuits was born. Then worn almost exclusively before or after sports, it was in the 1970s that tracksuits began to become synonymous with casual wear.
The 80’s made way for the Shell Suit which consisted of thinner nylon layers, allowing wearers to experience a predecessor to the modxern fabrics we see in current tracksuits. This tracksuit was perfect for the 80’s fitness craze and breakdancing within the burgeoning hip hop scene.
An iconic moment of the 1980’s was Run-DMC release of their infamous track “My Adidas” in 1986. Though it was about trainers the rap crew wore Adidas tracksuits throughout helping to make the garment synonomous with the hip-hop scene.
In the UK in the late 1980’s and 1990’s, the tracksuit came to the furuore thanks to young white working-class men turning up to football matches in sweatsuits by brands such as Ellesse, Lacoste, Fred Perry, Sergio Tacchini and Fila. This helped propel the style internationally. To outsiders, the tracksuit was symbolic of the disenfranchised and often the subject of society’s contempt for the working class.
In the early social media filled 2000’s, the tracksuit gained new life as paparazzi shots captured a new wave of US celebrities going about their daily lives in the iconic soft velour Juicy Couture tracksuits . In her 2004 wedding to Kevin Federline , Britney Spears decked out her entire wedding party in custom tracksuits. But the end of the 2000’s saw the tracksuit fade from popular fashion.
The success of UK grime in the mid 2000’s led to a continued reimagining of the relationship between culture and sportswear, as the young Black working-class donned the the tracksuit all throughout the inner cities, the tracksuit would be seen as a clash against the status quo. With minimilasm a major design philosophy in the 2010’s, a lot of tracksuits saw a cleaner simpler design that has remained till today.
Today, tracksuits are now worn across all class, background, age, race and gender whose experiences differ substantially to the community that established tracksuit culture. However, street and youth culture still play a big role in its continued relevance and tracksuits are now a staple of most streetwear brands.
Once wrongly associated with violence and crime, the tracksuit has transcended culture to become a culture in its own right. It is now rare to find a clothing brand that doesn't have a line with a signature tracksuit. Now adopted by luxury, fast fashion, loungewear and activewear brands due to its cultural and finanical significance, the tracksuit continues to be championed amongst the community that helped established its relevance.
The tracksuit is here to stay.
Check out the full history of the tracksuit on our dedicated Trackstory page on our website.