Athletic wear: How gym clothes became everyday fashion

Athletic wear wasn’t always cool. Gym clothes just used to be something you wore to sweat in. Then big brands like Nike and Adidas started dropping gear that wasn’t just practical; it looked good, too. Soon enough, big sports stars upped their fashion game on the court, and suddenly, tracksuits weren’t just for running drills, and sneakers weren’t just for the court. How did it all happen? Let’s look at the timeline.

How did athletic wear become fashionable?

The concept of activewear emerged over 100 years ago, with new types of clothes emerging that were designed purely for sports and physical activity and made of materials like cotton and wool. Over the following decades, top designers started paying attention. Coco Chanel incorporated sportswear elements into her clothing, introducing her own active, financially independent lifestyle through relaxed jersey suits and became famous for clothes of "the sports type”. In the 1950s, the middle class grew and with it, leisure activities evolved, contributing to the popularity of comfortable clothing.

Another change happened in the 1960s with sportswear brands like Adidas and Nike who specialized in athletic apparel and footwear. The fitness boom, fueled by the likes of Jane Fonda, popularized activewear in the following two decades.

How did Michael Jordan and Nike change pop culture through athletic wear?

In 1984, Michael Jordan was at the peak of his career and teamed up with Nike to launch the Air Jordan 1. The collection was an instant hit, and by the late ‘80s, kids weren’t just wearing Jordans on the court, they were styling them with jeans and hoodies, setting the foundation for sneakers as everyday fashion.

Another Basketball legend, Kobe Bryant followed Jordan’s lead, launching his first signature shoe, the Adidas KB8 (later renamed Crazy 8) in 1997 and then moved to Nike in 2005. The legacy continues despite Kobe’s passing in 2020. Nike is planning new Kobe shoes and apparel releases this year, with a collection themed around the "Year of the Mamba" ("Black Mamba" is the nickname that Kobe had given himself). New drops will include the Kobe 5 Protro 'Year of the Mamba' and the Kobe 9 Elite High Protro 'Masterpiece'.

Enter Lebron James. He signed his first sneaker contract with Nike in 2003 (and he's still dropping new releases in 2025). But those weren’t the only sports stars to join this revolution. Celebrity players like Serena Williams have been massively influential in fashion, promoting their own lines and collabs.

Next came the hip hop stars. Adidas’ collaboration with Kanye West took athletic wear to another level with the launch of the Yeezy brand in 2013. Kanye’s minimalist designs, oversized hoodies, and futuristic sneakers made sweatpants and trainers not just acceptable, but desirable. Yeezy drops became major events, and sneaker culture exploded, proving that athletic wear was more than just a trend. For unfortunate reasons, the Yeezy brand has gone through ups and downs over the years, and its future is very much in question today, but there is no denying that it was a big moment in streetwear culture.

Adidas continued its star-fueled collabs with a partnership with Pharrell in 2014. Pharrell’s Hu NMD sneakers became a must-have, mixing bold colors, cultural references, and high-performance materials into a sneaker that worked just as well for a workout as it did for everyday wear. Today, Pharrell is the men's creative director at Louis Vuitton. He's the first musician to hold this position at the luxury fashion brand and proves just how far this movement that started in the world of pop culture has taken over the fashion industry.

Puma, another iconic athletic wear brand joined the game in 2016 when it launched Rihanna’s Fenty Puma Creepers. It mixed streetwear edge with classic athletic wear, creating a sneaker that was both sporty and stylish. Rihanna’s oversized Fenty hoodies, lace-up joggers, and bold athleisure pieces helped push women's athletic wear into a whole new lane.

This was soon followed by another major global music star coming into this: Beyonce launched her Ivy Park collection with Topshop in 2016, (this collection was then moved in 2020 to partner with Adidas).

As streetwear and athletic wear kept merging, Travis Scott, a rapper and music producer, became one of the most influential figures in sneaker culture. Starting in 2017, his collaborations with Nike and Jordan created some of the most hyped releases of all time.

Luxury fashion finally came onboard with athletic wear at the highest level. The Dior Air Jordan 1 in 2020 was a high-end take on a classic basketball sneaker, bringing designer fashion and streetwear culture together in one of the most exclusive sneaker drops ever.

This was only a simplified timeline. There is an abundance of collaborations taking place every day, with new sneaker releases, clothing lines and high-fashion items being announced. So keep your eyes peeled and follow our blog to get information on the latest drops and biggest trends.