Not all heroes wear capes, some wear Loewe

SPORTS!

Zendaya as Tashi Duncan in Challengers wearing Loewe

Maybe it was Jaylen Brown carrying the Finals trophy around Paris like a handbag, or seeing Serena Williams strut down the Vogue World stage in OFF-White, or I could still be reeling from Lewis Hamilton’s Met Gala look, but athletes have been dominating fashion just as much as their respective sports all 2024. The Olympic Games kicked off today, but the pre-trials have kept us fed for months —Sha’Carri Richardson is back, better, and on the digital cover of Vogue, KITH tapped Kevin Durant for their USA Basketball collaboration, and Jordan Chiles from the USA Gymnastics team is this month’s Teen Vogue cover star.

As a less-than-casual sports fan, I’ve never paid this much attention to the sports world before, and I think it probably has something to do with the outfits.

We can start with the fact that it’s an Olympic year and that the games are taking place in fashion’s biggest city, Paris. The trials overlapped with the resort and couture shows that took place from late spring into early summer, and many designers drew inspiration from the upcoming games, incorporating uniform-like designs and sports motifs into their collections. Pharrell Williams’s Spring 2025 Menswear collection for Louis Vuitton, titled “Le monde est à vous” (The World Is Yours), was shown at UNESCO, the United Nations agency dedicated to promoting world peace. It was a clear nod to the upcoming global stage and featured soccer-patterned leather jackets among other global sports references.

Wimbledon also began in late June, reminding those who might have forgotten that Challengers exists in real life, too. Celebrity spectators sported suits in every variation—pantsuits, skirt suits—and Jodie Turner-Smith stood out in a bold sweatsuit.

After an incredible press run for her movie with stylist Law Roach, complete with deep-cut tennis references and symbolism, actress Zendaya hasn’t yet hung up her racket from playing Tashi Duncan in the film. As a recently announced ambassador for ON, she starred in a campaign alongside tennis legend Roger Federer. Although Zendaya herself is not an athlete, at this point, close enough…when’s the Wimbledon debut? Even though we didn’t see her on the court, we did see her in the stands wearing a vintage Ralph Lauren suit.

Both major sportswear brands, Nike and Adidas, released collections with high-fashion collaborators Jacquemus and Wales Bonner, respectively. The Adidas x Wales Bonner collection paid homage to East African runners and featured new Samba colorways and brightly toned tracksuits. The Nike x Jacquemus collection, which more recently dropped, leaned into the Olympics and showcased an exciting campaign in Paris directed by designer Simon Porte Jacquemus himself. Featuring Serena Williams and countless other athletes, models, and fashion figures, Jacquemus aimed to represent the best of French culture and talent in the 20-second short while paying homage to the Paris Olympics through the 10-piece capsule collection.

Pro athletes are heroic figures to many, they represent how hard work and dedication can stretch the limits of the human body. These larger-than-life figures with unbelievable talent and drive demonstrate that it’s possible to defy the odds and reach unprecedented heights. While the intersection of sports and fashion might initially seem unusual, it’s actually a natural fit. First, because fashion’s job is to reflect the culture and sports is one of the most dominant pieces of the entertainment industry, and second because athletes make perfect candidates to represent brands and collections. Not just because of their status and influence, but because what brings garments to life is the bodies that give them form, so who better than athletes, masters of movement, to be the ones to showcase them? Uniforms are central to sports; their materials, silhouettes, and style are created to enhance performance while also serving as symbols of unity through distinct colors and designs.

Sports, like fashion, is a form of art. Competing in sports involves both adherence to established rules and applying creativity within those constraints. Athletes continually push boundaries to create excitement and innovation. To compete is to create.

And at the heart of both sports culture and fashion is community. The mutual passion between spectators and performers generates a palpable energy in arenas and runways alike. Some heroes wear capes, others wear pleated skirts, or Nike’s, or leotards, and some wear Loewe.