Streetwear and urban sports, the inseparable duo

When we think of urban sports, we immediately imagine skateboards, scooters and even BMX-style bikes that are invading cities to divert the use of street furniture.

When we think of urban sports, we immediately imagine skateboards, scooters and even BMX-style bikes that are invading cities to divert the use of street furniture. Long marginalized, they are now widely popularized. So much so that brands once reserved for these extreme sportsmen find themselves mixed with much more sensible wardrobes! 

For several years now, the fashion trend has been streetwear and more particularly that which highlights urban sports such as scooters, bikes and of course skateboarding. Major fashion houses and advertisers are now relying on this culture with its strong identity to imagine their collections. Among the important events that have initiated a shift in the acceptance of this universe, the collab in 2017 between Louis Vuitton and Supreme, a key figure in skate culture. If until then luxury and popular culture seemed incompatible, they have since found common interests. A godsend for the urban sports world which has been able to extend its aura well beyond its borders. Now, young and old are showing off brands that were once reserved for skaters. As for the brands, they have not hesitated to review the looks of their collection by making them less cumbersome. Sneakers are becoming more minimalist and pants more sober in order to adapt to this new clientele more attracted by fashion than by sport. 

Skateboarding and other urban sports are much more than just sports: they're a lifestyle, with their own codes and language. This vector of expression and identity, which has enabled people to associate themselves with a group, has influenced many areas of society, including art, music, literature and, of course, fashion. In order to practice their sports and figures freely, these athletes needed loose, comfortable yet ultra-stylish outfits. So they turned to outfits streetwear which, until the 1980s, were worn by gangsters in the red-light districts of New York and Los Angeles. Before it was popularized, this urban style, a standard of freedom, was the symbol of a counter-culture that wanted to revolutionize the thinking of the time, notably by making society more inclusive. Today, all sectors of the population wear streetwear. Sneakers, hoodies, oversized T-shirts, caps... who doesn't have at least one of these pieces in their wardrobe?