Finally - body hugging fashions!

This is Article 4 of 4 on the history of Running Fashion
Article 1, Article 2, Article 3, Article 4

I was engaged in an interesting conversation with two gals at the Club last night about what we wore - or had to wear for fitness pursuits while growing up. Well guess what? Both women recalled having to wear rompers (or bloomers) in high school. One dated herself in this blasé outfit to the sixties, the other - the seventies.

I'm sure the picture on the right doesn't even do justice to the elasticized, heavy cotton uniforms us gals wore in the archaic years of long ago.

And it is only in the privilege of being able to look backwards that we can thank our lucky soles that certain trends, like the bloomers eventually died. Keep in mind that for the most part, young girls made to wear rompers/bloomers certainly did not have a choice in gym wear. By the eighties, adults did but fared no better in their activewear choices, at least in a look back at this era. I say this in reference to the nylon track suit craze that swept North America.

Oh yes - the fitness boom was on and demand grew for easy care fabrics, like that of synthetic nylon. The comfort of this roomy, brightly coloured suit made its way into everyday wear too. You see, the "boom" meant nylon clad folks working out only one day a week were also wearing their suits on the other days of the week. I'm sure even hard core fitness fiends could be spotted in the suit outside of workouts as, after all, it was a trend and anyone and everyone can buy into trends. Thank goodness the trend died with over-production and cheap knock-offs saturating the market.

Well bye bye eighties and hello nineties! This was the era of body-hugging lycra/spandex. Look at the two running photos below from the Olympics and notice the change from the loosely fitting synthetic material of the eighties (left photo) to the tight fitting synthetic of the nineties (right):


















There is quite a change happening here and I for one quite like it. It's not only in the fit but the fact that the outfit on the right also incorporates design into the mix. I think it's quite powerful.

Even more powerful is the marketing of the nineties that had athletes promoting clothing lines (think Nike, Reebok, Adidas) and the link between athletic performance and streamlined athletic wear.

It is true that research and development in synthetic fibres, including elasticized ones like spandex has and continues to evolve. Today we can choose clothing for sport that claims to aid in recovery (compression socks, shorts etc.), take away bacteria when we sweat, protect us from the sun and pull out excessively charged positive toxins from the body.

WOW! Now don't all rush out and source this gear thinking it's all you need to push yourself that one extra mile to make it to the podium. Perhaps I'm just too much of a skeptic, too relaxed as I hit middle age (ew - I've never quite thought of myself as a "middle ager") or perhaps I'm more someone that buys into the whole relaxed pace of life thingy and live it up to the end. I certainly am more interested in celebrating my running and dressing in a way that says "I'm rockin' this run" than "move outta my way, I'm heading for the podium." But does it have to be one or the other? Do we have to choose between an aerodynamic piece of clothing that will help us shave seconds off our time or a piece that could be featured in a near-Vogue like magazine?

Probably not. Here's my point - synthetic fibres have come so far today that we actually have choices. There are pieces that are marketed solely from the standpoint of performance enhancement. There are also pieces that are marketed solely from the standpoint of fashion. Synthetic fibres are not exclusive to the activewear industry. In fact, activewear fashion has almost always been adopted into everyday wear, the fitness boom of the eighties and the nylon track suit phenomenon is a prime example of this merger.

Will history witness a further merger of fashion and activewear?
As far as running clothing goes, I say "yes" for several reasons:

1. The 25 to 34 year age group is the fastest growing segment of runners at road races and this segment of the population is more concerned -and demanding- when it comes to style and trends. Given the number of choices in activewear today, they are going to be the first to demand more stylish options when it comes to any sporting wear, especially given the fact that they can choose between some of the major players in the game who already produce stylish activewear pieces; Nike, Adidas, ACIS etc.

2. Although growth has slowed in the number of women competing in road races, it has grown from a mere 23% in 1989 to 53% in 2009. Couple this stat with the fact that 40% of racers prefer a 5k to any other distance, this means that the average women involved in running is not spending hours upon hours every week in high performing technical gear.

What will this look like - "running fashion?"
Not completely sure but considering Nike leads the way as far as the preferred brand for running clothing (64%), they would be the company to watch as far as trends. It is also worthwhile to watch what all the small women-owned apparel companies are producing as I do believe they are akin to the "street style" of mainstream fashion. That is, they represent the micro needs of women that run. And guess what? Most of the small women owned running apparel businesses use style and fashion as their competitive advantage.

That wasn't so bad - now back to sourcing out all the amazing styles of modern running fashion!