I’d offer that those wearing advertising logos on their clothing don’t have much understanding of fashion.
Frankly, it’s vulgar.
Frankly, it’s vulgar.
Some people want their fashion to make them blend in. Some people want their fashion to make them stand out. That doesn't mean one misunderstands it and one doesn't.
Anecdata from just last week...
My partner wanted some new running trainers. She went to a popular high-street store here in the UK called JD Sports and said to the assistant "I'm looking for some new running shoes". In a bizarre fit of honesty the lady said:
"Sorry we don't really do running gear here, we sell more fashion items."
I'm sure her manager would have been appalled to overhear it, though perhaps the assistant is into sports herself and made an honest distinction between quality sports gear and the logo-heavy branded items in the store.
but the thesis was basically: sports wear has often influenced mainstream fashion since even like 100 years ago.
but in each generation, people find it initially shocking to see so many people wearing what is marketed and made for sportswear for leisure, or even seeing it spill into the workplace. i think the article was focusing on leggings when they started creeping into non-sports-related settings.
one of the craziest counter-examples i've seen, from the anecdote you share about your partner, was when i saw a man dressed to the nines in a really sharp/ smart business suit, looking like he had a great haircut. but for his kicks, he was rocking Nike Vaporfly 2's, which are known to only have so much life in their foam specialized for distance racing. i personally didn't think it looked at all aesthetically pleasing, but because they were relatively expensive for running shoes, i'm guessing that the man decided to pair them with his high fashion look.
Hopefully you are young enough to have been spared the indignity of witnessing a plague of fluorescent legwarmers and sweatbands escape the aerobics gyms of the 1980s. :)
A lot of modern casual and even business-casual fashion is (or was) sports wear.
Polo shirts? Explicitly designed for tennis—it's the reason the design exists. Pure sportswear.
Oxford-cloth button-downs? Sports wear. That's why it's got the buttons to keep the collar down, and why the cloth is so heavy-weight and rugged.
Rugby shirts? Jerseys? Of course.
Sneakers, of course. Also, many other shoe designs, from equestrian and hunting sports.
What's not sports wear is often former underwear. T-shirts and A-shirts (thought the latter remain very informal, at least) were/are underwear. Arguably leggings are underwear that (somehow—this trend remains baffling to me, but on the other hand, I mean, thank god for it, obviously) became sports wear and then became everyday casual wear.
I'll sometimes do this sort of thing when I travel. Lot easier to travel light when you don't need a separate pair of running shoes.
Even their “description” meta-tag makes it clear that they focus on fashion items.
> JD Sports is the leading sneaker and sport fashion retailer. With many limited edition and exclusive design from adidas Originals and Nike.