Sweatpants Day: From a luxury object to a symbol of loss of control

Style criticism

There is probably no piece of clothing that is more forgiving to us than sweatpants. No matter what the scale shows and how much you ate over Christmas – it forgives every gram. It doesn’t pinch, doesn’t blame and gives maximum freedom. What clothes can do that?

Since 2009 there has been a day on which fans of knickers can say thank you, every year on January 21st “International Sweatpants Day” instead of. It wasn’t announced by the fashion industry, but by students at a high school in Graz. At the carnival, instead of wearing costumes, they appeared in sports shorts, which are unwelcome at many schools. A gag that spread across Facebook and has since been celebrated in many countries.

The fact that World Day falls on a Sunday this year is a coincidence, but it is special. Because when pants were invented in the 1920s, they were still called “costume du dimache”, as a Sunday suit. It was a jersey model developed by Émile Camuset, founder of the French brand Le Coq Sportif. At that time, sport became widespread. Those who could afford it played tennis or cricket on Sundays – and got the right outfit.

Out of control: A quote takes on a life of its own

Sweatpants, a luxury item? Hard to imagine, because for years the cliché of being a symbol of doing nothing clung to her. Not least thanks to Karl Lagerfeld. He is said to have once said that whoever wore them had lost control of his life. Although the fashion designer never expressed this sentence in this way, neither on TV nor in a newspaper, he was never a fan of elastic trousers. “Nothing is more dangerous than things made of stretch, elastic and all that nonsense”he said in a 2012 interview “Bet that…?”-Broadcast. Tight clothing is the best discipline for him. After all, a waistband cannot lie.

But since the pandemic, sweatpants have experienced a change in image. During the Corona lockdown, millions of people were stuck working from home. A situation for which there were neither rules nor dress codes at the time. Since you weren’t going to the office, the question was: why dress up? Sweatpants quickly became established as a work uniform.

Even Anna Wintour, editor-in-chief of the “Vogue” and the most powerful woman in fashion, appeared in track pants back then. Before the pandemic, the 74-year-old had declared that she would never want to wear them. But the Corona crisis put everything into perspective, including Wintour’s strict fashion dictates. Instead of colorful floral dresses from Prada and Gucci, she appeared on her magazine’s Instagram channel at her desk in red tracksuit bottoms. Her fashion U-turn was tantamount to a nod to sweatpants. The Vogue boss in a baggy look – an almost historical event.

Wintour could have given her more credit. After all, sweatpants are more than 100 years old and have experienced ups and downs. Inventor Émile Camuset overcame several hurdles to establish his pants. First the global economic crisis prevented him, later, when he presented the jogger at the World’s Fair in New York in 1939, the Second World War broke out shortly afterwards. It wasn’t until the 1970s that demand for sweatpants increased. At that time they not only established themselves in sports, but also appeared on the big screen. US actor Sylvester Stallone made her in the boxing film “Rocky” famous.

Although the fitness boom began in the eighties, sweatpants were now increasingly worn by people who had nothing to do with sports. Often these were people with low incomes. The joggers became a symbol of socially disadvantaged people; they were seen on young people in the banlieues. Hip-hop stars like Run DMC also picked up the look. In doing so, they rebelled against the dress codes of the middle class. Sweatpants were suddenly no longer practical, they became the cool kids’ favorite clothes.

Terry jogging pants? The fashion peak has been reached

But by the time reality stars like Paris Hilton and Kim Kardashian wore terry cloth pants from Juicy Couture in the early 2000s, the fashion peak had been reached. Anyone who wanted to demonstrate a sense of style avoided the pants, which were often decorated with rhinestones.

Today, sweatpants have become an integral part of the street scene. Since the pandemic at the latest, every luxury brand has had it in its range. She can even be seen on the catwalk every now and then. She has shaken off the stigma of being negligent. It is made of durable material. And that’s exactly what makes fashion classics. They outlast trends without any ifs or buts.

If you’re still thinking about what to wear today, put on your Sunday suit – and get on the sofa!