Athleisure as a term has been floating around for a while, but what does it mean? With the importance of wellness and health more emphasised than ever, in 2024 we’ve seen the emergence of art with functionality from designers’ ambitious collaborations with sportswear powerhouses. Designers CDG, Jacquemus, The Attico, and AVAVAV are showing us how we can let the outside reflect our inner health guru while keeping a showstopping edge.
This sporty 2024 highlight shows a key shift in design. Expressing style at the gym, running errands, and walking the dog is just as important as it is when strutting through Paris, and people are more inclined to invest in designer pieces they can integrate easily into their daily lives. So where did the trend start?
CDG X Salomon
Back in February, Japanese fashion brand Comme des Garçons (CDG) teamed up with terrain sports expert Salomon to present the SR811 Platforms as seen on their Fall/Winter 24 runway. Featuring an exaggerated platform, tonal metal eyelets and an elastic collar, these trainers elevate the shoe game and ensure you turn your head on dog walks and catwalks alike.
Nike x Jacquemus Swoosh T-Shirt
Nike x Jacquemus Women’s Trousers
Jacquemus x Nike
A seemingly unlikely alliance between a luxury brand and sportswear giant expertly combines Simon Porte Jacquemus’ chic, Parisian style with Nike’s vintage sportswear pieces in a collection that highlights versatility and style.
The collection, which debuted in Spring of 2024, is inspired by the belief that sport isn’t simply about performance, it is also an expansion of style and self. The Spring 2024 Nike x Jacquemus Collection features women’s and unisex apparel, a new J Force 1 and a first-ever accessory, the Le Swoosh bag, the first time Nike’s iconic Swoosh has been imagined into a handbag, and Nike athlete, style icon and 2024 Olympic hopeful Sha’Carri Richardson, led the campaign.
While these previous collaborations played a key role in pioneering this duality of style,’ the current SS25 shows that this art form has solidified.
The Attico X Nike
Debuted at Milan Fashion Week for SS25, The Attico teamed up with Nike to give a sporty edge to their collection. Focusing more on athleisure rather than sports gear, the looks encompassed a laid-back, effortless vibe to complement their show. The label’s SS25 runway was graced with a signature pop of Nike apparel and trainers, juxtaposing a sporty aesthetic with sexy-chic edge.
Nike sports bras and bodysuits in faded colours were paired with sheer skirts and oversized jackets for a trendy “no pants” vibe while an alternative look saw sexy, underwear-style bottoms paired with baggy tracksuit trousers.
AVAVAV X Adidas
In perhaps the most on-the-nose collaboration, AVAVAV recruited Adidas to work alongside them in their recent Milan Fashion Week SS25 runway. Their catwalk, or should we say track lane, saw the seamless amalgamation of the practical and impractical to produce a complex collection of sportswear and athleisure that anyone can make their own.
Notable pieces included deconstructed tracksuits, figure-hugging slip dresses, and Adidas’ signature tri-stripe motif. According to AVAVAV designer, Karlsson, sportswear giant Adidas instructed “Do whatever you want, but don’t f*** with
the stripes.” And Karlsson certainly did not, letting the iconic tri-stripe design speak for itself in her pieces. Elsewhere, models were bundled in bloodstained bandages in a comment on the dark sides of both art forms: sport and fashion.
While AVAVAV and The Attico may not have set any PBs or won any medals at Milan Fashion Week, the brands have certainly made history in these ambitious collabs, balancing chic style and functional sportswear in a feat of fashion innovation.
Words By Isobel O’Connor
