Sportswear in the Past
Gym wear has become a new fashion and symbolic trend in our modern life. The fashion was born from a simple idea of “Everybody wants a perfect body”. However, multiculturalism has spawned massive demands of wearing, which makes a huge change to our sportswear today. The new ideas of ”fit everyone” also has spawned abundant garments in our sports wearing rapidly and beyond our imaginations. Yet, you might be more curious about what the sportswear looks like.
When was it invented?
In the earlier 19th-century, sportswear, which also called activewear, was cater to the developments in female’s activities such as early bathing or cycling, which requests shorter skirts, bloomers, and other specific garments to enable mobility. The first one who specialize in sports clothing was a clothing designer called John Redfern. In 1870s, he began designing women tailored garments for women who rode, played tennis, went yachting and did archery. Also in the late 19th century, these garments, which existed on menswear, began to move to working woman’s wardrobe.
Evolution of Sportswear
During the Industrial Revolution (c.1760-1860), more people who fought for the rights of worker freedoms, found leisure was only a luxury garments to the nobility classes. And later in the mid-1920s, women started focusing on dress themselves instead of pandering to men’s admiration. More famous fashion designers who represented them, started adding more features about loosening, comfy and simple garments to make people easy to move. Yet, the clothes still only served for noble classes in the first half of 20th century.
The trend of casual activewear changed faster when the whole society had been through the Second World War and the Industrial Revolution. The hot flush of innovations in sportswear started in America, where the economy had developed swiftly and people with the idea of seeking equality, freedom and convenience. The key designs produced by new generation of American designers. For example, Claire McCardell, a famous sportswear designer, lead here group of five wool jersey pieces from 1934. She also worked for swimsuits, football wear and the made a great invention in footwear. After the Second World War, designers continued to develop the theme of affordable, practical and innovative sportswear, focused on wearability instead of fashion elements. The costume designer, Bonnie Cashin, who considered one of the most influential American sportswear designers, started to producing ready-to-wear clothing in 1949. Along with the many other designers, with the development of clothing producing machines techniques, easy-to-wear suits, coats and dresses which own good shape-retention become a key American look in 1960s and 70s.
The sportswear developed with the demands and the culture of the whole society. Lead by the culture of Hip-hop, in 2000 till today, the tracksuits, hoodies, yoga pants, had become the first choice of many people’s every-day wearing.
Sportswear in Today & Future
From an enjoyment only offers to noble class to one kinds of daily wear today, sportswear represents people’s lifestyle and human cultures. Sportswear nowadays has been separated into multiple different styles along with people’s desires in various activities. But the whole market still mainly focus on comfy, profession and practicability. There are more brands joining in the games to seek more innovations and possibilities of it, such as Lululemon, Gymshark, Alo yoga and so on. The changes comes along with the techniques of clothing producing and fabrics updating.
Although Arabella keeps moving with the steps of sportswear market, we still a learner and need to trace back the evolution of people’s wearing. We are not only a manufacturer of clothing, but also speak of people’s needs.
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