Fashionable footballers? Trendy Tennis players? It’s 2018 and the link between sports and clothing is stronger than ever.
The weekend of the 14th of July has been a legendary one for world sport, but also for streetwear fashion too. On Saturday, Angelique Kerber beat 7 times winner Serena Williams in the Wimbledon final wearing Palace’s latest collaboration with German giants Adidas. A day later, France won the World Cup; starboy Kylian Mbappé has been pictured rocking Virgil Abloh’s Off-White Nike Mercurial collaboration, scoring against Subašić in League 1 and in the World Cup final too.
The global influence of streetware is growing rapidly, becoming a lifestyle as well as a teenage infatuation. This year's World Cup has been a prime example, Nigeria’s home kit was an inspiring symbol of tribal culture and will no doubt be one of the main attractions for every other white boy at British music festivals this year. Fashion is a primary form of expression, and so it’s effect on sport was inevitable. The legendary Pigalle area of France lives and breathes basketball, the shop is a true representation of urban culture and sits directly opposite a basketball court, which they now own in association with Nike.
Football is an intrinsic part of Dutch culture. Originating from Holland, Patta has championed this and frequently collaborated with Umbro on historic football shirts. Their 2017 summer collection was inspired by Ajax shirts from the 1980s. As the most successful Dutch team, Ajax has waved the flag for their country at competitions like the Champions League, influencing football as we know it today through their ‘Total Football’ style in the 1960s Johan Cruyff era.
The growth of streetware has helped expose people to heritage sportswear brands that are far from reaching the heights of Nike and Adidas. Gosha Rubchinskiy’s collaborations with Kappa and Sergio Tacchini contributed to one of the stand out collections of 2017, creating more affordable bootlegs than their Russian counterparts ‘Vetements’. The elegance of MSGM’s Diadora collaboration reinterpreted modern sports culture and the casual scene cherished by many English football fans. Reimagining some of the brand's archive pieces has given them new life, in a way Gosha did with Kappa. There are so many parallels you can find between fashion and sport, their synergy is undeniable. If you like Tennis, the chances are you will start buying into Palace, if you like Patta then you probably love football too, and Pigalle’s obsession with Basketball and high-end fashion continues to make it the coolest neighbourhood in Paris. There’s no doubt that our favourite brands will continue treating us with reinventions of our favourite sportswear silhouettes. Want to see them before anyone else? Then keep checking back here for future updates.