Why does everyone wear sneakers and hoodies? How sporty style took over the catwalks and our wardrobe

Looking around on the street or looking at photo reports from catwalk fashion shows, you can see that sporty style has become an integral part of the mainstream. Someone sneers at the “glamorous gopniks” that have flooded metropolitan areas, someone does not understand why all the time to dress as if going for a run. And the main question is: why are people willing to spend so much money on this?

As is always the case with such noticeable changes in the fashionable tastes of society, there is no single answer. Before us is a combination of several factors at once, which converged at a single point. For a better understanding of what is happening, we need to turn to history, then we will notice amazing parallels: initiated by the creativity of the sensational Gosha Rubchinsky and Demna Gvasalia (creative director of Balenciaga and chief designer of Vetements), the revolution in our fashion consciousness intersects with the activities of Coco Chanel and even the image of the dandy of the 19th century. Let's talk about this in more detail.

Generation gap and attention to street fashion

With which decade does our reality compare? Of course, at every corner people shout: “90s! 90th! 90-! But we will rewind the tape a little more back. Namely - in the 60s.

In many ways, you can find similarities, the main one of which will be the generation gap, and it does not speak about the eternal problems of fathers and children, but implies a whole abyss between people of different worlds.

In the 60s, the hippie and pop art movement - something completely new and incredible - conquered the hearts of young people and created an unbridgeable gap between generations. Today's teenagers grew up with tablets in their hands and got used to doing everything online: buying, studying, making money.

They think and perceive this world in a completely different way, and it is they who are shaping today's new wave.

Another amusing coincidence: the emphasized attention to street fashion, which eventually begins to dictate its rules to the catwalk, inspire the most famous designers. So it was during the days of "swinging London", when miniskirts from the streets came to the catwalks. We see the same thing now: reporting on street style during fashion weeks arouses no less, if not more, public interest than the shows themselves.

To stay in trend, traditionally luxury brands collaborate with sports brands. Such collections are sold out in a few hours, there are queues for them. You don't need to look far for an example: items from the sensational collaboration between Supreme and Louis Vuitton were resold. stores in a matter of hours. Sports style is part of the general culture of our time, and not some separate subculture - hence the excitement.

Echoes of initiation rites

What is sport all about? Sport is, first of all, initiation.

It has been this way, perhaps, since the very first man climbed out of the cave and looked at the stars with dim eyes. An integral part of the boy's life was the development of survival skills in an aggressive world around him: catch up, run away, jump, throw, lift. Only by proving his mastery of these skills could he be called a man. Subsequently, these skills formed separate sports: running, javelin / discus throwing, weightlifting. So the topic of initiation is very important, it runs like a red thread throughout the entire history of mankind. Fashion is no exception.

It is interesting to note that initially the girl was excluded from sports life. On the one hand, this is just an interesting fact. On the other hand, this is what ultimately shaped the attitude towards the body and clothes of different genders. Think of the ancient Greek statues. Male bodies are depicted naked, each muscle is clearly delineated, because the main thing in a man was physical strength. And women, with the exception of a few goddesses, were portrayed completely covered with cloth - no one thought to emphasize the details of their physical development. And so it went on for centuries. Until a certain moment.

At the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, the ideas of women's emancipation began to be actively promoted. One of the important parts of the new female image was the desire for an active life and, accordingly, to change the wardrobe. It is clothing for a dynamic lifestyle that begins to undermine the centuries-old foundations of home construction. The cycling suit has got the community excited!

It became clear: a woman, in order to become independent, must first of all become independent of her wardrobe. Removing the corset was relatively easy, as several designers proved at once, but it wasn't enough. Completely rethinking the female silhouette was the task. And here we come to the Chanel era. It's funny to realize that we no longer perceive her style as sporty, and that is exactly what it was in the 20s of the XX century. That is, the revolution in women's wardrobe went hand in hand with sports and emancipation. As a result, we all return to the same initiation.

In addition, there has always been an element of rebellion in the sport. Today it has taken on a somewhat sharper form: prove that you can - just do it! Such moods are very close to young people, adolescents who are just beginning their journey in this world: they are looking for themselves, are disappointed, lose confidence and regain it, lose and win. At the same time, it is not at all necessary to go in for sports, just dress in a sporty style, and this will show others that you are a fighter, fast, confident and worthy.

Love for the image of the "bad guy"

The use of elements of style, behavior, vocabulary of declassed individuals to enhance their own image, giving it more expressiveness is far from new. Again, you don't have to be a punk, rocker, biker, or gopnik to broadcast to the world that you are not as simple and harmless as you might think. It is enough just to borrow external attributes, because it is clothes that are the easiest way to show the world your true self. This is especially true in a metropolis where millions of people hardly take the time to make new friends and get to know someone better.

This also includes the unquenchable interest in punks. All these tattered jeans are from there.

You may be a good boy or a diligent girl, but your clothes say, “Anarchy! A challenge to society! Do not come, otherwise it will be worse!"

The whole sporty style of today is partly based on this principle. Borrowings come mainly from the 80s and 90s. Why this particular period? He is close enough to remember general directions, and far enough away that all bad things are erased from memory. The sporting style of this period is hip-hop, which developed in the American ghetto. Hence the rebellious guys and girls, for whom expensive sneakers and accessories, if not the ultimate dream, then the goal for the next couple of months for sure. How else to explain the fact that they are ready to stand for 5-6 hours in the cold to get the right to buy new Yeezy Boosts?

There is one more aspect. Today's youth is a generation that was formed in the era of constant terrorist threats and related information hysteria. Due to the extremely nervous situation in the world, the rebellion of a generation is directed towards something very dangerous, hence the desire to "defend". Therefore, one should not be surprised at the popularity of brutal and "prison" bows from Gosha Rubchinsky and Vetements. This is the spirit of our time: "Warn the world about your readiness to fight so that you do not have to fight."

Demonstrative consumption

Everything is simple here: before the formation of the middle class, there was a clear division into servants and masters, and the main task of the upper (or more correctly, the idle) class was to differ as much as possible in their consumer habits from the rest. But with the development of the middle class, other processes begin in fashion. At first, the image of the leisure class is copied by the bourgeois, and then this image gradually sinks lower and lower, and in the end, the port prostitutes wrap themselves in expensive furs and shine with ornaments. It was a huge blow to the pride of the cream of society, and they were faced with the task of finding new forms of demonstrating their wealth.

This also applies to our time, except that the wheel is spinning faster. Let's remember Versace: legendary prints have gone from the best catwalks and the legendary Lookbook collaboration: Versace for H&M with H&M to the transition to Tverskaya.

And the Dolce & Gabbana show, autumn-winter 2013/2014 Dolce & Gabbana 2013 with their Byzantine princesses became the apogee of excessive glamor on the verge of theatricality and, at the same time, the decline of "heavy luxury" in fashion. Everyone got tired of it, it became boring, so new rules of the game began to form, which by now have been accepted without exaggeration by all the players of the fashion world.

As noted at the very beginning, such a revolution has occurred before. At the beginning of the 19th century, dandies, with their deliberate simplicity in the image, inspired by the uniforms of the lower class, replaced the raging luxury.

It's the same with sports - it's a change towards deliberate and sometimes grotesque simplicity. So today we are seeing just another turn of the wheel of demonstrative consumption of the leisure class, dressed in post-Soviet "dashing" clothes from Demna Gvasalia. Add in the youth street riot - this is the fashion of 2018.

Fashion is easy, but difficult at the same time. However, it is extremely amusing. Now, as you watch the next chunky Balenciaga sneakers, you will understand where it all comes from.