American Sportswear is having a moment

Let's look at the history and explore why everyone is excited about Sportswear - and should be. 🌀

Oct 13, 2023

Background on American Sportswear

Between what everyone is wearing this Fall and watching the news of the Spring/Summer 2024 Fashion Shows, I kept seeing one idea pop up - Sportswear. Also captured as “wearable clothes” or “functional fashion.” We are talking about clothing for everyday life. And once I see a trend I really want to spiral 🌀 around it.

Let’s start with a mini fashion history lesson:

~Late 1800s to early 1900s: American Sportswear emerges as a response (and need) to the changing lifestyles of women. Women are becoming more active and participating in sports and have a need for more practical and functional clothing.

~1920s: Not American, but Gabrielle (Coco) Chanel introduces more casual clothing with luxury pieces and the idea of separates. She popularizes jersey, which was typically a material for men’s underwear.

~1940s - 1950s: Brings us Claire McCardell who is often credited as being the founder of American Sportswear as her designs are known for being simple, functional and comfortable. As WWII ended McCardell’s designs were well suited for the practical needs of women.

~1960s through 1990s: Ralph Lauren brings preppy style with clean lines, nautical details and classic silhouettes. Think of the polo shirt, preppy blazers and cable knit sweaters. In the 1980s-1990s Calvin Klein’s minimalist style with clean lines, luxury fabrics and neutral colors added another layer to American Sportswear.

~2000s through now: Athleisure and the fusion of true SPORTSwear acceptable in more facets of ones life have brought even more function into the clothing.

Further, American Sportswear has had a global impact (specifically with European fashion)

Casualization: The European designers bringing in tshirts, denim and sneakers is likely a direct impact from American Sportswear. American Sportswear has helped popularize more casual and comfortable styles for everyday wear.

Function and Simplicity: American Sportswear inspired designers to make more clothing that was focused on functionality and versatility for more practical and wearable clothing. Minimalism and clean lines are related to American Sportswear.

Democratization: American Sportswear also brought in more “ready to wear” clothing (often abbreviated in retail speak as RTW.) The expansion of more ready-to-wear clothing also allowed true fashion to be available to more consumers. Gender Neutrality in fashion is also seen as something that American Sportswear has brought to broader fashion audience.

Preppy: Striped patterns, boat shoes, polo shirts and blazers are all key Preppy elements that American Sportswear brought to fashion houses.

Key Silhouettes: Denim, Tshirts, Polo Shirts, Athleisure (ie hoddies, sporty outerwear, leggings)

Why we are talking about Sportswear Now

The cover of WWD on 10/12/23 states “Luxury sales are slowing worldwide and a large cohort of designers - or their brands’ merchandisers - seemed to sense the new mood, sending out a parade of collections for spring 2024 of chic, wearable, and dare we say “simple” clothes to spur consumers to open their wallets comes next season…”
This quote from Beth Buccini (Founder and Owner of major fashion boutique/mini department store Kirna Zabete) in WWD recapping the recent Spring/Summer ‘24 fashion shows says it all “And finally — finally! — day clothes are really a thing.”
This fantastic Substack by
Laurel Pantin
for her publication Earl Earl (I suggest you subscribe) calls it a trend “Real clothes. Styling ideas that spawn more ideas, separates that work with your lifestyle - not against it. I for one, am very, very down. American sportswear! Long may she reign. Ease, and slouch, and again, that beautiful, luscious red.”
This recap from the NYTimes on NY Spring/Summer ‘24 fashion week very much defines that Sportswear is back. Also from the NYTimes, if fashion peacocking is over, Street style is more subtle, that is a highlight for Sportswear on the street and in real life.
From Mon Review
Monica Ainley DLV
’s Substack on September 19, 2023 taking inspiration from 1990s CBK (Carolyn Bessette Kennedy and referencing the Sporty & Rich campaign from earlier this fall. Ainley DLV’s post really dives into what looked fantastically Sportswear on the most recent runways shows but also showcases why Sportswear can be so popular - it can be preppy, it can be minimalist, but above all it is functional for every day. Her follow up Substack on October 7, 2023 titled “Normal People - A Post PFW Wardrobe” follows up the American Sportswear edit with the Europeans doing Sportswear from the recent Spring/Summer ‘24 shows. (Business of Fashion also references Sportswear being “normal”)
Cathy Horn’s piece for The Cut aptly titled “American Sportswear is Back, Baby!” feels pretty definitive to me.
Becky Malinsky
‘s 5 Things You Should Buy “What Do the Cool Girls Wear” breaks down all the current key trends in Sportswear from boat shoes, to Jane Birkin inspired charms (I also talked about here) to Butter Yellow and Lightweight coats.

Designers in this space making an impact in 2023-2024:

Love this quote from
laura reilly
in her Substack “Magasin” on the recent NY Spring/Summer ‘24 fashion shows:

“Joining the ranks of OG, back-on-the-calendar Rachel Comey is a growing tribe of responsibility-minded New York brands making chic and minimal grown-up clothes for clever women. Among them, Maria McManus, Kallmeyer, and Attersee, I’d also say welcoming Veronica De Piante into the mix this season. This womenswear mafia produced an encouraging number of imminently wearable everyday pieces for spring; let’s talk about them.”

And a few more listed below:

Ralph Lauren - major Sportswear name then, major Sportswear name now. Via Washington Post Rachel Tashjian.
Tory Burch - The Reinvention of Tory Burch is perfectly primed for this Sportswear moment, and possibly a main catalyst. Here from Highsnobiety and here with the data sharing that T Burch is back!
TWP - in doing my research for Sportswear I came across the line TWP that I did not know much about. In researching I have found that Trish Wescoat Pound founded the line after having founded a very different line, Haute Hippie. She also worked at Theory and Michael Kors (and Theory founder Andrew Rosen is an investor in TWP.) TWP appears much more luxe and in the “quiet luxury” vein than a Haute Hippie would be which is likely why this brand is not mentioned in the About Us section of the site.
Fforme - from Business of Fashion, “Before the rise of the term “quiet luxury,” Fforme’s understated elegance used to be called minimalism. Its progenitor was Jil Sander, not that Helbers needs to lean on a legacy: his experience designing menswear for Martin Margiela, Louis Vuitton and The Row speaks for itself.” This article mentions further “The label has also attracted approval from critics like Cathy Horyn and Rachel Tashjian.” T Magazine also lists Fforme as an Emerging Brand.
Morgan Stewart McGraw’s new launch Renggli Studio include basics to wear together or separates and has the drop business strategy.
Sofia Richie Grainge has announced she will be launching a line (which I suspect will fit in here too) (updated 4/6 - SRG has since launched Solid & Striped collab)
Khaite - while Khaite was included in many many of the articles above recapping the recent Spring/Summer ‘24 NY Fashion Shows, it was this article from Glossy/Digiday in 2017 by Jill Manoff with the title “The Khaite guide to launching the next great American Sportswear brand” that caught my attention.

Images via brand commerce sites and Vogue.com. Brands clockwise from top left: The Row, Maria McManus, Tory Burch, Attersee, Proenza Schouler and Khaite.

And…if you are looking for what Handbag to wear with these Sportswear looks (and The Row is too $) then I suggest reading

Rachel Cohen

‘s Substack for a great edit here.

Whew! This 🌀 spiral 🌀 has been deep in my mind but I need time (as you can see) to pull it all together. What do you think? Leave a comment below to share your favorite American Sportswear designers. Any suggestions for my next fashion spiral?