As the line between trend-led fashion and sportswear continues to blur, Mpdclick explores how fashion influences sportswear, and how sportswear has impacted the design industry, both on the runway and on the high street.
The fashionable sportswear market has now become more trend-led, as recent fashion weeks have shown. Both New York and London, for instance, saw the emerging trend that is 'fashionable active wear'.
In addition, today's retail consumer is expecting to see well-designed apparel that can be worn both in and outside the gym; items that are sensible yet tasteful.
This idea is supported by the Sports Apparel Survey, which stated that 78% of women wear workout clothes for purposes other than exercise.
Realising the rise of this trend,
Mudpie has created its very own activewear trend book. Launched earlier this year, the book adds to Mudpie's range of seasonal garment and graphic trend books.
The publication, entitled 'mpd active,' is aimed at the male and female commercial active sportswear market, and follows the same successful format of the existing trend books.
Mpd active covers the three main trends for autumn/winter 11/12 - Synergy, Innovate and Primal - providing each trend with a sports focus.
Mudpie's translation of forecasted fashion trends into the activewear market further supports the growth of fashionable sportswear, as we see these two sectors blend.
Today's fashionable activewear reflects the formal approach that has been added to athletic-styled clothing.
Garments that have been designed for leisure and exercise have now taken a trend-led twist, featuring hooded jackets, jersey sweaters, cycling shorts, and the comeback of tracksuit bottoms.
This look is the grown-up, sexier version that you could wear in the office. Tracksuit pants should be silk or jersey in a muted pastel colour. Features such as drawstring waists or cuffed ankles work with high heels to keep the practical yet stylish theme.
The casual yet elegant clothing that is perfect for everyday wear allows us to see just how sportswear can make that all important leap into the fashionable retail market.
On the runway
Major designers for the autumn/winter 10/11 and spring/summer 10 seasons brought their sport inspired collections to runways at all the main fashion weeks.
Sports such as surfing, scuba diving and American football seemed to be amongst the influences, introducing theme-dressed clothing and introducing colour palettes of sport style brights and dark coloured casuals.
Alexander Wang 's spring/summer 10 American football inspired collection showed varsity inspired cardigans and athletic socks at New York's fashion week, whilst in Milan, Bottega Venetta's models wore white headbands which combined the theme of karate and tennis.
On the waterfront, Jonathon Saunders' models looked like they had just left the pool with glamorous wet-look hair in London, and
Gucci continued this theme with its scuba-style collection at Resort fashion week, which combined harnesses and sports mesh.
With increasing numbers of designers looking to the active market for inspiration, the influence of sportswear on the runway is becoming more evident each season, a trend that Mpdclick predicts will continue to grow
Our main objective when matching clothes to our complexion is to divert the focus onto our face, and not the clothes. So color coordination and mens complexion should be eventually shift the focal point to the man and never the clothes.
