The year sports took over fashion

We’re two weeks away from the Paris Olympics and bang in the middle of both Wimbledon and the UEFA Euro 2024; the British Grand Prix was last weekend and, of course, India just won the T20 World Cup after 17 years. There’s no denying that sports are hot right now. While athletic wear brands are getting most from the action, fashion brands aren’t far behind.

With their perfect physiques, near-mythical abilities, and legions of devoted followers, athletes are as close as it gets to immortals on earth. It’s no wonder, then, that they have long played muse to fashion designers, right from the 1900s. If polo player Arthur ‘Boy’ Capel was Gabrielle Chanel’s lover and muse, French designer Jean Patou found his creative inspiration in tennis player Suzanne Lenglen. Along with contemporary Elsa Schiaparelli, these designers were inspired by athletic bodies to create clothing for women that freed them from the restraints of corsets and long skirts. Sportspeople have dabbled in fashion too—like tennis player René Lacoste and skier Emilio Pucci, who channelled their experience into building a unique, sports-inspired aesthetic.

Tennis, anyone?

Right now, we’re deep in the middle of an obsession with #tenniscore thanks to Zendaya’s film Challengers and the Netflix series Breakpoint. Many of the key trends for spring/summer 2024 reflect that influence—the popularity of the colour white and the multiple versions of the polo t-shirt (spotted at Loewe, Givenchy, even Carolina Herrera). WGSN reported that pleated skirts made up 24 per cent of the total skirts featured on the season’s catwalks. But the ultimate marriage of real life and court life fashion was when Ukrainian tennis champ Marta Kostyuk worked with sporting brand Wilson to design her wedding dress earlier this year. The label then made an equally charming mini version for her to wear at the ongoing Wimbledon. The dress is called The Marta and is available to buy online.

Football fever

Hot on the heels of tenniscore, we saw another game creep into our IG feeds—football. A report earlier this year by brand agency Karla Otto and influencer marketing agency Lefty dubbed football “the most powerful sport in the world” in terms of earned social media value. In January 2024, WWD reported that athletes, particularly football stars, are some of the most lucrative faces for fashion brands with names like Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi generating $1.8 million in media impact, higher than Oscar-winner Leonardo DiCaprio and even K-Pop stars.

The financial impact aside, it’s the sport’s more laid-back, blokeish aesthetic that is appealing to the die-hard fashion girlies. Think Kim Kardashian and Julia Fox, who wore football jerseys with cycling shorts and lace skirts. Rather than original club merch, though, we’re leaning more towards the jerseys sent out by our favourite designers. London-based Connor Ives’ shirred baby tees are made of vintage football jerseys that are taken apart and then stitched together with elastic thread. Louis Vuitton’s recent spring/summer 2025 men’s show featured t-shirts and bomber jackets crafted out of LV soccer balls. Meanwhile Moschino sent out a tailored jacket for men and an A-line skirt for women, both printed with images of footballs on a base coloured like the Italian flag. Just so we know which team they support.

Moschino spring/summer 2025

Racing to the finish

But the sport that’s really sped to the top in terms of online influence is Formula 1. Just this week, the trailer for the Brad Pitt-helmed sports drama F1 dropped, while last month, Tommy Hilfiger continued its association with racing star Lewis Hamilton through a new 10-piece motorsport-inspired collection in collaboration with the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One team. Hamilton is, of course, the undisputed king of the course in terms of both fashion and wins—the Karla Otto x Lefty report called him, “the most valuable driver in terms of media impact”. Whether he’s in a mirrored Marc Jacobs co-ord set or a custom Burberry look, Hamilton wears his style with the confidence of someone whose taken many a victory lap.

Ready, set, couture

The recent Couture 2025 shows offered further proof of the enduring appeal of sports in the fashion world. At Dior, creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri was inspired by ancient Greece, home of the Olympic games. The collection featured embellished body suits, racer-back tank tops, and even gowns made of draped jersey, an unexpected choice for couture. Designer Thom Browne started his show with a game of tug of war, followed by a supremely luxurious take on team uniforms. There were avant-garde, heelless cleats with gold spikes plus jackets and miniskirts edged with the French tricolour, and the silhouettes formed by exaggerated shoulders and nipped-in waists brought to mind vintage sports iconography.

Team spirit

Another way in which fashion and athletics have come together is through collaborations between designers and sportswear brands. The latest arrival is the Jacquemus x Nike collaboration that dropped this week, featuring the signature Nike Swoosh in the form of a neat leather bag. Adidas has continued its tie-up with British designer Grace Wales Bonner with a collection inspired by marathon runners. The list continues: Comme des Garçons x Salomon, Reebok x Anine Bing, Miu Miu x New Balance, and Bode x Nike, all of which released in 2024. Some fashion brands have even set out with their own athletics-focussed collections. Think of Celine’s recently released, ridiculously luxurious Pilates line that includes a sheepskin- and canvas-clad reformer, and Balenciaga’s take on skiwear, the launch of which was announced via a video game.

Clearly, when it comes to bringing a bit of that medal-winning style into your own look, there are plenty of options. You might be surfing Netflix instead of the waves, but you can definitely look like you’re part of the team while you do it.