Tracksuit

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

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

Atracksuitis an article ofclothingconsisting of two parts:trousersand ajacketusually with frontzipper.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 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.

The Australian Olympic women's softball team at a welcome-home parade in Sydney, 2008

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

The invention of the tracksuit is understood to have happened in 1930s, however its big break came in the late 1960s whenAdidascreated their first piece of apparel.Tracksuits have come in and out of fashion over several decades. The period that featured tracksuits as sportswear that was acceptable to wear outside of the gym was the 1960s and 1970s. Tracksuits first became popular around 1975, 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. 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 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, where 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

• 
  An example of a tracksuit used as fashionablecasual wear
• 
  RussiangymnastViktoria Komovawearing a tracksuit
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  Cerasela Patrascu,during2010 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships,wears theRomanian flagcolours on her tracksuit.
• 
  PanamanianrunnerAndrea Ferriswearing a tracksuit
• 
  Spanish rapperMoradwearing a tracksuit during a concert
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  Shell suit jackets made of colorfulnylonfabric

See also

• Athleisure