History of Sportwear Industry
History of Sportwear IndustrySportswear is generally associated with the thought of clothing that is athletic and sleek looking, as well as clothing you would wear during a particular sport. What typically comes to mind for most consumer is the swoosh or the 3 stripes (the Nike and the Adidas logo) as they are seen all on TV and in the professional sports setting. The origin of sportswear is complex, as it was tied to social and cultural change, much as it is today. Before the twentieth century, most sportswear was for horses, shooting, and hunting. Men would typically wear a collared frock for shooting and skirted coats and high boots for hunting.As the times went on, sports were created and a new need for clothing was created. Many European immigrants brought many team sports with them as during this time, there wasnt much else to do but drink. As sports like football and hockey became more prevalent, players needed equipment to keep them safe, making it more of a necessity. The whole progression of sportswear is tied closely to education, innovation and technology. For example, in the late nineteenth century, college football adopted a padded leather knickerbocker as well as a knitted wool jersey, which will then become known as jerseys. As science and technology advanced, people were able to identify what sports needed what and created products that would suffice to these demands.Sportswear is tied to culture. For example, when the rap group known as Run DMC was popular, they all wore Adidas superstars and made that shoe extremely popular and an iconic shoe in todays fashion. Not only that, but for Nike, they signed Michael Jordan as an athlete, and due to his status, the shoes worn by him during his tie playing are not only selling out but reselling on the secondary market for thousands of dollars. Consumers typically like to follow what is trendy and brands like Nike and Adidas have been, and still are setting these trends whether it be directly or indirectly.
