Tracksuit

This article is about the apparel. For the fictional criminal organization in theMarvel universe,seeTracksuit Mafia.

Atracksuitis an article ofclothingconsisting of two parts:trousersand ajacketusually with a frontzipper.Also known assweatsuitsortrackies,tracksuits are designed to keep the body warm during and after athletic activity.It was originally intended for use insports,mainly for athletes to wear over competition clothing (such as runningshirtandshortsor aswimsuit) and to take off before competition. In modern times, it has become commonly worn in other contexts. The tracksuit was one of the earliest uses of synthetic fibers in sportswear.

A modern tracksuit consisting of jacket (left) and trousers (right)

A descendant of the tracksuit, theshell suit,which arrived in the late 1980s, was popular with the hip-hop and breakdancing scene of the era. They were manufactured from a mix ofcellulose triacetateandpolyestermaking them shiny on the outside, with distinctive combinations of colours.

Most tracksuits have a mesh interior which allows the user to wear them without any undergarment such as underwear. This is much like a bathing suit. Many people wear it forphysical exercisesessions. Asauna suitis a specialized form of tracksuit made of a waterproof fabric such as coated nylon or PVC that is designed to make the wearer sweat profusely. Sauna suits are primarily used for temporary weight loss.

Other names

The victory ceremony of the women's 4 × 100 metresfreestylerelayat the2015 World Aquatics ChampionshipsinKazan;winners are wearing tracksuits, 2015.

English footballerJude Bellinghamwearing a tracksuit at anEA Sportsevent in 2024

The tracksuit is also known as awarm-up suit,or"warmups"for short, as they are intended for athletes to keep their bodies warm before or after competition, and during breaks (especially important in cold weather). In almost all cases, sports teams will wear these garments using a fabric that matches their official team, school, or country colors. The bottoms of tracksuits are also known assweatpants.

Fashion history

Sweatpantswere first invented by French sportswear manufacturerLe Coq Sportifin 1920 to provide athletes with comfort and ease of mobility.As sweatpants became more common, Le Coq Sportif designed the "Sunday suit" as a combination of sweatpants and a matching top, for use in home relaxation or daily exercise.

Tracksuits would become popular casualwear in 1967 whenAdidascreated their first piece of apparel and marketed it in collaboration with German footballerFranz Beckenbauer.The Beckenbauer Adidas collection was followed by instances of depictions of tracksuits in pop culture, such asBruce Leewearing tracksuits inLongstreetandGame of Death.Tracksuits were associated with the youth culture of the time, particularlyhippiesand university students.

Tracksuits at the time were made out of cotton, polyester, terry cloth, or a mix. In the late 1970s velour became popular, so much so that it became the most used form of fabric on a tracksuit.

Hip-hopculture would also contribute to the tracksuit's mainstream success. In 1986,Run DMCreleased the songMy Adidas,with amusic videofeaturing the group prominently wearing Adidas tracksuits, further associating tracksuits with hip-hop.

The trend of wearing athletic clothing continued into the early 1980s. Tracksuits were eventually replaced by shellsuits, which were made out of nylon, in the late 1980s. This trend was short-lived, lasting only a few years.

In theUnited Kingdom,tracksuits became popular due toTommie Smith and John Carlos' black power salute during the 1968 OlympicsandBob Marley's Jamaican tracksuit. Young white working-class men in the UK often wore tracksuits to football games during the 1980s and the clothing was associated with football hooliganism at the time.

In the late 1990s, tracksuits made a comeback in mainstream fashion for both men and women. They returned to the fabrics of the 1970s, most notably polyester. The trend continued into the 2000s, when velour made a comeback, by the likes ofJuicy Coutureand other brands. This continued for most of the decade. Tracksuits briefly went out of fashion in the late 2000s, resurfacing in the 2010s with "athleisure"trends.

Beginning in the early-2000s, tracksuits have been associated withgrime musicin the UK and its related culture. This has led to the style of clothing being associated in the mainstream media withthe country's gang culture,however grime musicians such asStormzyhave openly disassociated from them.

Since 2006, prominent fashion designers have been asked to design tracksuits for the athletes of variousOlympicteams, usually all the athletes representing one country. For example, designerRalph Laurencreated the USA uniforms for the 2010Winter Olympic Gamesopening ceremony.The sportswear companyAdidashired Stella McCartney to be the Creative Director for the 2012 GB Olympic Games (by Adidas)—the first time in the history of the games that a leading fashion designer has designed the apparel for a particular country’s team across all competitions for both the Olympic and the Paralympic Games.

Gallery

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  An example of a tracksuit used as fashionablecasual wear
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  RussiangymnastViktoria Komovawearing a tracksuit
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  Cerasela Patrascu,during2010 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships,wears theRomanian flagcolours on her tracksuit.
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  The Australian Olympic women's softball team at a welcome-home parade in Sydney, 2008
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  Spanish rapperMoradwearing a tracksuit during a concert
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  Shell suit jackets made of colorfulnylonfabric

See also

• Athleisure