Make It Last: Why Fashion Today Shows Sporty Ambitions
Fashion is more than just a new T-shirt. With clothes we transport emotions. We show who we are. Fashion reveals a lot - especially about ourselves. So it's no surprise that fashion and sports are closely linked. Both industries set trends again and again. Both have been influencing each other for decades. And both are undergoing major changes.
New Perspectives on an Industry in Transition
Sustainability, fair conditions, diversity and new perspectives: this is where we come in and take a look behind the scenes of the fashion world. What does athleisure wear mean? Who is currently inspiring the sports world? What will the fashion of the future look like? And why does it always feel better to train in a beautiful sports outfit? We at ISPO.com will tell you. Here.
Fashion has an impact. We encounter it in movies, books, at events - or on the sports field. When Serena Williams plays tennis, the world looks not only at her skill, but also at her outfit. And when a soccer team wins the title, the jerseys are sold out the next day.
Fashion is how we express who we are. It defines our identity - and who we want to be. And so it influences our consumer behavior, the way we live and the values we stand for.
When you wear clothes, you inevitably send a message to the outside world. Your own look tells other people not only how you see yourself, but also how you want to be seen by others. And so we all consciously - or unconsciously - tweak our own image.
Cowhide, plant fibers and tree bark: In the Stone Age, fashion was primarily one thing: protection from rain, wind and other environmental influences. Only later did necessity develop into a form of taste. The necessity has remained - and yet it has become a bit more fashionable. Today, there is outdoor and functional clothing for every activity, no matter how adventurous. And that in turn brings us to ISPO and the latest (fashion) trends.
Today, megatrends no longer originate from designers alone, but are subject to many influences. The sports and fitness industry also sets trends - or inevitably becomes a trendsetter. Since the global Corona pandemic it's hard to imagine our wardrobes without athleisure wear. We now wear sweatpants, running tights and comfortable sneakers in our everyday lives. Praise be to comfort!
7 billion US dollars were spent on used clothing worldwide in 2020. The reason for the hype around secondhand fashion? The pressing issues of sustainability, climate change and resource conservation, and society's heightened awareness.
On average, we wear an item of clothing four times before we discard it. Most of us consume far too much - and too quickly. The life cycle of textiles is short, and the mountains of waste are growing. The global trade in old clothing amounts to a full 4.3 million tons. For the fashion industry, this means rethinking. How can clothing be recycled? What does upcycling mean? And will there perhaps be compostable fabrics in the future? Questions that are concerning an entire industry and reviving the new megatrend of sustainability.
The production of clothing alone causes more than 850 million carbon emissions every year. 7,000 liters of water are used to produce a single pair of jeans. And more than 700,000 microfibers are flushed out with every wash, entering our rivers and oceans unfiltered. Industry and consumers know: Something has to change!
90-60-90 as standard? A thing of the past! Fashion today wants to be inclusive - and that means that the industry values diversity, gender neutrality as well as variety. Whether plus size, transgender or people with disabilities: Diverse people are not only represented in industry & advertising today, but also finally find clothing.
We love sports, we love fashion. And we love innovative ideas. Throughout the year, we are on the lookout for bold innovations in fabrics and components for the production of sportswear. Once we've found them, we award them twice a year at ISPO Textrends. For designers and industry insiders, our Textrends are inspiration for forward-looking ideas for a new (sports) textile industry.
Only in exceptional cases are garments made from just one ingredient. Especially on the labels of sports and functional clothing, there is usually a lot to read in addition to the care instructions: Blended fabrics of cotton and polyester, merino wool and spandex, viscose and nylon - the combination possibilities are endless and a fabric even often contains far more than just two ingredients. Here you can find out why the sports and outdoor industry likes to use blended fabrics so much, and what to look out for when buying and caring for them. Especially in the sports and outdoor industry, a wide range of textiles is used for the production of functional clothing.
The fashion industry does not only stand for clothes, but for a huge market. From the design of the clothing to the production to the store salesperson: millions of people work in the sector for all of us. It is therefore all the more important that the textile industry is aware of its responsibility. A T-shirt must not only be made of fair materials, but must also come from fair sources in the future. This includes working and production conditions as well as transport routes.
This is precisely where ISPO's Fair Wear Foundation comes in. Its goal is to improve working conditions in the global apparel industry. At the heart of this is our code of labor practices and workers' rights, the "Code of Labor Practices," which is based on international standards.
The code regulates:
- The limitation of working hours
- the free choice of workplace
- no exploitative child labor
- no discrimination in the workplace
- a legally binding employment contract
- safe and healthy working conditions
- freedom of association and the right to collective bargaining
- the right to a living wage
With the help of the Code and the Fair Wear Foundation, we hope to improve the textile industry - including the sportswear industry in particular. So that the people who produce our clothes can live sustainably and safely.
