Fashion is still fixated on sport. A first look at Spring ’19 men’s collections reveals another season driven by activewear, technical features and literal takes on sport uniforms.
As sales for performance brands like Nike, Adidas and Puma maintain momentum, and consumer interest for comfortable, casual and functional fashion prevails—not to mention the adoption of street and skate in the luxury space—designer players like MSMG, Off-White and Sunnei are playing into the athletic look.
In other words, if you can’t beat them, join them. Or, in the case of Palm Angels, partner with a performance apparel brand.
The Italian luxury-meets-street label teamed with Under Armour for a co-branded collection of structured hoodies, long nylon vests and windbreaker bottoms. The collection, called “Recovery,” includes fabrics made with Under Armour’s recovery technology—the same technology offered in its line of performance sleepwear for athletes, according to reports from Quartz.
Spring has proved an opportune time for designers to kick their sport-inspired collections into high gear. Collections are punctuated with flashes of florescent green, intense orange, teal and bubble gum pink. The colors lend themselves well to the high-shine nylon and spandex pieces and transparent fabrics that help distinguish designer from gym rat.
What We Wear took a pure approach to both color and sport. With the World Cup in full swing, the London-based brand has been inspired by soccer. Key items included coordinating sets, like a simple V-neck soccer jersey and shorts in orange, and a red and blue horizontal striped knit sweater and shorts. The brand added some novelty with team patches, sporty side stripes and training pinnies (scrimmage vests) worn over track suits.
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High-voltage colors came together in Iceberg’s heavily branded collection of track suits, hoodies, basketball shorts and ’80s-inspired windbreakers. Even when the brand tried to take a serious turn with blazers, the tailored look was interrupted by nylon sleeves. Meanwhile, a neon green shoe lace haphazardly threaded through the front of a pleated skirt.
Similarly, BESFXXK experimented with hybrid silhouettes and layers. The collection featured deconstructed track jackets with extra sleeves, jeans spliced with jogger bottoms (including the elastic waistband) and chino shorts cuffed and worn over running shorts. A blue and silver windbreaker was styled tucked into satin boxer shorts that were once again layered over lime nylon shorts.
And if there was any question of where BESFXXK sourced inspiration for the spring line, extra-long towels emblazoned with “workout” doubled as dramatic scarves.