“I explored fashion and style as a way to stand out. In many ways, the tennis courts have become my catwalk”, said Serena Williams, honored as fashion icon by the Council Designers of America (CFDA) on the 6th of November 2023.
This was the first time for an athlete. But why should one be surprised?
For the multi-award-winning tennis player, fashion has always been a spontaneous manifestation of joy, starting as a child with ribbons and beads in her hair, all the way up to the launch of the S by Serena collection in 2018
The friendship with Virgil Abloh
Started in 2018, following the criticism of the “catsuit” worn by Serena during the Roland Garros tournament, the human and artistic partnership born between the athlete and the designer Virgil Abloh, led them to collaborate on several occasions. From the total black tutu at the US Open Tennis Championships, to the “Queen” collaboration – a reinterpretation of tennis classics – NikexOffWhitexSerena.
But again, even at social events such as the MET Gala in 2019, the tennis star wore fluorescent yellow Off-White trainers for Nike paired with a long yellow dress with a train.
In the same year, for the 2019 French Open, the athlete had created a black and white tennis set with the American designer that read the words ‘mother, champion, queen, goddess’ in French.
Indeed, Serena Williams’ stylistic choices – an expression of awareness and strong freedom – have always conveyed strong messages, such as the reappropriation of her own body and the breaking of canons and stereotypes.
The tennis star has consolidated a close relationship with fashion over time, being the first black athlete on the cover of Vogue 2012. No wonder she chose a fashion magazine cover to announce her farewell in 2022 and then stepped onto the runway as the opening model in the Vogue World show.
The reciprocal exchanges between sport and fashion show how the influence between the two worlds is certainly bi-directional. There is no single path through which the influence moves; rather, there is a constant exchange of trends, styles, and concepts.
But let’s take a step back.
Fashion and sport have been happily coexisting for longer than we think. It has been the years of streetwear that have emphasized this link by creating wildly successful collaborations.
Back in the 1920s, Coco Chanel inaugurated a revolutionary new dress code for the New Woman of the time, made of soft fabrics inspired by men’s sportswear such as polo shirts and tweed. Lagerfeld later skillfully blended seasonal trends, seamlessly merging casual and sophisticated aesthetics. He drew inspiration liberally from various sports such as horse riding, surfing, skiing, fishing, and beyond.
During the interwar period, visionaries in the fashion industry, including Jean Patou, Jeanne Lanvin, and Elsa Schiaparelli, found inspiration in sports while crafting their women’s collections. The designs were primarily tailored to complement slender and youthful figures.
However, the influence of sports extended beyond fashion designers. Accomplished athletes like René Lacoste in tennis, Emilio Pucci in skiing, and Ottavio Missoni in track and field, utilized their athletic expertise to shape the aesthetics and materials of their products. They incorporated designs inspired by essential team uniforms into their fashion creations. This trend gained momentum with the rising popularity of activities like aerobics, bodybuilding, and the growing impact of street culture, enhancing the appeal of a well-toned physique.
More recently, a noteworthy development has taken place. According to a report from trend analyst Lefty, the partnerships between sports and fashion have generated $78.5 million in earned media value (EMV) – a metric that gauges the earnings a brand can anticipate from mentions on social media- this year.
From the fashion runways to the athletic arena
Connections are almost everywhere, creating a new powerful contemporary consumer culture. Fashion and sport have increasingly teamed up to be the power forwards the game, enhancing the use of sports stars and athletes as brand ambassadors.
Major fashion houses are working with sportspeople in unprecedented ways. When the top-10 tennis player Jannik Sinner -new Gucci’s brand ambassador- took a monogrammed bag on the court at Wimbledon in 2023, it was the first time a high-end luxury luggage piece had been brought on an athletic arena.
However, the focus seems to be on a broad spectrum of sports.
In 2023, football culture has been getting a makeover – with football shirts now been considered by many as a fashion item. Stella McCartney’s Arsenal women’s shirt, launched in September and endorsed by influencer Mia Regan, quickly sold out. “I support” by Virgil Abloh is the concept behind the collaboration between AC Milan and Off-White, now the official Style and Curator of the team. Also, notable examples include Loro Piana for Juventus, Fendi for AS Roma and Moncler for Inter Milan. But football shirts prove to have divergent utilities. It all makes sense when one thinks of the social media trend of Bloke Core, that combines fashion and football and brings it to a mainstream audience.
When it comes to cultural influence, connectivity is pervasive. Major sports events like the Olympics and the FIFA World Cup have consistently steered fashion trends. In July 2023, LVMH declared its premium partnership with the Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games, a commitment reportedly valued at around 150€ million. In the meanwhile, as Paris prepares to host the 2024 Olympics, new exhibitions explore the relationships between two worlds obsessed with physical perfection.
The interplay between sports and fashion is a dynamic phenomenon that showcases how trends transcend boundaries and inspire creativity across industries.
There seem to be no limits or barriers to the endless applications and opportunities for exploration. This raises the questions: what are the expectations, and how far one can push the boundaries without compromising the inherent essence of both worlds?
Francesca Bisogno
References
Contino, K. (2022, August 9). Serena Williams’ daughter, Olympia, makes a cameo on Vogue cover. Page Six. https://pagesix.com/2022/08/09/serena-williams-daughter-olympia-co-stars-on-vogue-cover/
Kendall, Z. (2022, April 18). From Chanel to Prada, A Brief History of Designer Sportswear. Hypebae. https://hypebae.com/2020/3/history-of-designer-sportswear-chanel-prada-sport-adidas-y-3-yohji-yamamoto
Mattioli, G. (2022, March 1). Serena Williams: la tennista in passerella per l’amico Virgil Abloh. D.it Repubblica. https://www.repubblica.it/d/2022/03/01/news/serena_williams_sfilata_offwhite_virgil_abloh_tutu_nero_catsuit-339804036/
