Fashion Meets Sport: More and More Luxury Brands Discover Sports Brands

Collaborations between brands and designers are nothing new in the apparel industry. What is new, however, is the interest of the fashion industry, both mid-price and luxury brands, in the know-how of sports and outdoor brands. The collaboration relates to footwear and apparel - where the sports and outdoor brands can score points with their knowledge of performance in terms of ingredients and manufacturing techniques.

The North Face has driven this new trend in the fashion industry when collaborating with Belgian designer Martin Margiela, for example, as well as in its collections with Gucci.

When Adidas collaborated with Gucci at Milan Fashion Week, two brands also met that, at first glance, don't have much in common. And yet together they managed to create a new distinctive look that appeals to both customer groups. In addition to Gucci, Adidas has also developed another collection for spring/summer 2023 with the luxury brand Balenciaga.

Another interesting cooperation in the sports and outdoor sector exists between the Spanish luxury brand Loewe and the fast-growing Swiss performance brand ON. While the Spanish luxury label Loewe was founded as early as 1846, ON has only been conquering the market with its running shoes since 2010. It is precisely this combination of technology and tradition that is reflected in the joint products of the two brands and makes them unique. For the Cloudmonster running shoe, ON received the ISPO Award this year for its Cloudmonster running shoe.

The increasing demand is obvious, because Street Sports, one of the areas of the ISPO Textrends Award, which was originally founded as streetwear, has quickly become one of the fastest growing areas. Manufacturers have realized that performance alone is not enough and that creativity must be constantly pushed. At the same time, brands in the luxury segment must search for a new identity to continue to succeed in the 21st century.

One of the older brands, Vibram, known for the comfort sole in hiking boots, is working not only with outdoor brands but also with designer brands, bringing comfort and performance to fashion footwear. This Street Sports development is a coming together of minds from different areas of the apparel and footwear world.

Collections that bring athletic know-how to urban performance are being designed by companies like Adidas and Nike. Both have recently pursued the crossover concept of classic urban designs with the latest high-performance fabrics and high-tech manufacturing processes normally reserved for the outerwear market. The trench models from both brands are compelling: the styling combines classic trench style with the functionality of protection that the two manufacturers achieve with 2.5L and 3L shell technology.

The need for performance that is currently emerging in the fashion industry can be traced back to the time before Corona. Athleisure first established itself in the market - consumers no longer just wore their comfortable sportswear for fitness, but began to integrate it into everyday life.

During the pandemic, comfort then became the "it" trend, and this doesn't seem to be changing anytime soon. Since consumers have recognized the benefits of functional clothing and know what the sports and outdoor industry has to offer in terms of performance-oriented products, they no longer want to do without them in their everyday lives.

For the performance material sector for fabrics, components and trims, this is very good news. This development is particularly evident in the innovation and creativity of the submissions for the ISPO Textrends Award. Here, sports and outdoor brands can present their design and production skills in the development of fashionable and functional collections and have them evaluated by a high-ranking jury from the industry.