When looking into the history of the tracksuit; a two-piece outfit originally worn by athletes before and after sporting events, it’d be criminal to ignore adidas’ huge contribution to the development of tracksuit culture. Adolf (Adi) Dassler had already created quite the legacy for the brand, through their design and production of cutting-edge footwear for sports including football, track running, basketball and many others. It was through his son’s experimentation with apparel that inspired Adi to push the boundaries of the brand, collaborating with German footballer Franz Beckenbauer to create the first adidas tracksuit in 1967, manufactured by textile manufacturer Georg Schwahn. Adi and Schwahn experimented with different technical fabrics including a warm-up tracksuit crafted from a wool/nylon blend, decreasing the weight from its wool/cotton counterpart. The tracksuit featured the iconic three stripe design to the sleeves and legs, with embroidery and stirrups on the bottoms for a secure fit.
Fast forward to the ‘70s, where the latest “fad” of jogging, personal fitness and an active lifestyle were at an all-time high. The disco scene was going strong, bringing with it a culture of jumpsuits, tracksuits and sportswear repurposed for the dancefloor. These elements alongside many other cultural movements saw the birth of the sport’s casual aesthetic, taking the formal details represented in the original adidas tracksuits (exaggerated collars, embroidered branding, a tailored fit) and pairing them with other preppy pieces, such as chino trousers and loafers. Through the decades, the tracksuit became a hip-hop must-have, a uniform for B-Boys, a lightweight disguise for graffiti writers, a comfortable option for skateboarders and even found its way into the alternative world through the popularity of Nu-Metal in the early 2000s.
When it comes to adidas, there’s so much to choose from tracksuit-wise, so we’ve highlighted three of our favourite two-pieces available online and in-store at Wellgosh now. Click the hyperlinks in the image captions to shop the pieces individually or click on the images to be taken to the adidas Originals brand page.
