THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, July 7, 1994 TAG: 9407070059
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E3 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Fashion
SOURCE: BY MONIQUE WILLIAMS, SPECIAL TO THE DAILY BREAK
LENGTH: Medium: 88 lines
YOU DON'T HAVE to be fit to look the part, but looking fashionable in athletic clothes has moved from the fast track to the streets.
Athletic wear, once the domain of manufacturers such as Reebok and Nike and sold in stores such as Sports Authority, is attracting a crowd that is not known for ho-hum design.
Designers Ralph Lauren, Norma Kamali, Donna Karan and Tommy Hilfiger introduced this season's sports-inspired street wear that looks like it should be in the sports arena.
Sleek, stretchy, striped and sexy, these basketball T's, fencing and cycling tops, jerseys and soccer shirts are, at first glance, similar to the real thing. But look closer and you'll see that designer touch. The fabric is generally of superior quality and the fit is anything but boxy.
Boy, has athletic wear changed.
That's no surprise, though. The sports apparel sales industry got everybody's attention when it reported that 1992's retail sales topped $31 billion.
Donna Karan offered a lively version of the racer's look by designing a collection of sportswear that is as hot as the racers' cars.
She took racing stripes and ran them down tank dresses, crop tops and anoraks.
``I would really call it athletic-inspired clothing,'' says Patti Cohen, Donna's right hand and senior vice president. ``All this comes from the streets, the way people are dressing, putting together clothes and logos. Also the feel of it . . . the feel of wearing a great sneaker.''
Athletic wear is going to the streets, says Cohen, in the same way intimate apparel did - by wearing it out.
Tommy Hilfiger, who saw a 65.9 percent increase in business for the third quarter of 1993, sponsored Formula One Grand Prix racing's Team Lotus and designed the uniforms for the drivers and pit crew. He later developed a collection inspired by racing clothes.
``A few years ago, performance clothing was real athletic wear like Nike and Reebok,'' he says. ``But the street kids today have shown us that the designer clothes are the clothes of today.''
``I think it's a direction and also a trend,'' Hilfiger added. ``We are sort of beginning a trend, but the trend is classic. I think it's here to stay as a result of being classically styled.''
Alexander Julian is the menswear designer known for his great sense of coloring and for offering quality sportswear at moderate prices. He introduced an activewear collection named Coloursport.
The first designer to design sports uniforms for the Charlotte Hornets, he later created the uniforms for the University of North Carolina.
Of the current trend, he says: ``It's kind of a hybrid. I am cross-pollinating, taking sportswear attitudes and putting them into clothing.''
Julian adds that the lessons learned from designing activewear for professionals are used to design street wear.
Athletic wear, however, isn't the only style to come out of the gym and hit the streets. Rugged activewear inspired by the outdoors has moved indoors. It isn't altogether unusual to see men wearing their Dockers hiking boots in cities.
Judging by the popularity of recreational wear, it looks as if we will eventually all head out for the gyms, soccer fields, bike paths, beach volleyball courts, whitewater rivers and mountain peaks in our hiking boots, Patagonia shirts and four-wheel drive vehicles.
At Timberland, sales were up 46 percent in 1993, product manager Jonathan Schwarz told Sportscast magazine, an industry publication.
``The number of outdoor participants has grown primarily because various types of recreation, including camping and hiking, have become more appealing to families,'' Schwarz said. ``Time in the outdoors has become more of a priority due to heightened environmental awareness and because the outdoors is more accessible and affordable.''
This desire to connect with the outdoors is what soothsayer Faith Popcorncalls ``wildering.'' Popcorn says that connecting with the earth and dressing casually are all part of the '90s trend to simplify life.
So will casual Friday turn into casual every day?
Well, with Timberland jackets, Dockers boots and Patagonia shirts sitting at the computer these days, the days of the stuffy shirt and tie might be numbered.
And no matter how sedentary one is, looking fashionably fit becomes as important as being fit. ILLUSTRATION: Athletic wear, once the domain of manufacturers such as Reebok
and Nike, is attracting a new crowd of designers.
by CNB