TheAthletesRunway

When I started The Athletes Runway I had this post planned, this guy was the inspiration behind this blog, the pioneer who helped bring together 90s hip hop streetwear with the sport of basketball. If you were to ask me who my favourite sports personality of all time was I’d probably answer Allen Iverson before you finished your sentence. AI was the guy in the 90s and early 2000s. He merged together two worlds and got scrutinised for it but his influence is seen across sports till this day.

Looking back at it now his style looks amazing but we’ve seen it before, at the time they hadn't. AI’s style consisted of baggy clothing fit for the time whether it be denim ir tracksuit it was baggy. He took it a step further and became the first player to wear baggy shorts in game too. NBA players didn't have tattoos they didn't rock braids and they most certainly did not dress in baggy clothing and wear chains. He changed the game, wore the clothes that helped him express himself and got blackballed by the league and criticized for having the image of a “gangster”. 

Early this year he appeared on the cover of GQ magazine with the headline “How Allen Iverson Created the Blueprint for the Modern Sports Superstar” need I say more?

The Nike tech fleece is a staple of sportswear. Its my personal favourite piece of clothing without a doubt. Its comfortable, flexible, made of great material and overall looks great in almost every colourway.

Since its release in 2013 the Nike Tech Fleece has taken over the sportswear industry. It's no surprise that athletes everywhere are wearing them and even football clubs are having their own custom editions made. I personally have 4 pairs of Nike Tech tracksuits and they are fit for just about any occasion any time any place (except for weddings and funerals of course). Let's take a look into some of them.

CHELSEA 2023 

I want to give a stage to the beauty that is the Chelsea 2023 Nike tech fleece. This is possibly the best tech fleece ever created. The colourway is perfect and matches perfectly with their Third Kit this season. This is a 10/10.

LIVERPOOL 2022

Another masterpiece in my collection, this liverpool tech fleece is simple but very VERY effective. The red logo and accents pop beautifully on the black! solid 9/10

JA MORANT

Ja Morant is the king of the tech fleece so I have to put him up here with the football clubs. Ja has worn just about every colourway of the Nike Tech and he pulls it off everytime. The fact that he was able to find shoes to go perfectly with the green and white combo in the Huarache Le 'Stussy's explains it all. Ja is a nike athlete and next up I want to see a Custom Ja Morant Tech Fleece. Nike, please JUST DO IT!!! 

This week I bought my first pair of New balance’s. A decision I will not regret. Here's why...

i went with the New Balance’s 574 Legacy from JD for £110. These were the first pair of non-Nike trainers I've ever bought and lets get into what influenced my decision. 

Football. Sponsorships. 

There's a reason why Sports brands sponsor athletes, it brings them attention and in this case its done just that. I may have liked the look of the shoes but it was actually New Balance’s recent campaigns with the likes of Raheem Sterling, Bukayo Saka and Eberechi Eze that pushed me towards trying their product.

I love to rock Nike because they transcend fashion and stand for something greater than just the tick and what I've seen from New Balance in the last few years shows me that they are trying to do the same. They’ve tapped into the London culture already by signing 3 London born Premier League stars and have even collaborated with Stone Island! (Incase you didn’t know Stone Island has always been a big deal in London streetwear) 

Answer: Michael Jordan.

MJ was and is more than just the greatest basketball player of all time. He was more than just influential. He is an icon who changed the world of sports fashion for ever and became the owner of a billion-dollar sportswear brand in the process. I’m going to highlight three moments I think immortalised Michael Jordan and the Jordan Brand.

3. THE RELEASE OF THE MOVIE “AIR”

One of the biggest signs of success is a movie being made in your honour and Michael Jordan has that now. I watched this movie in cinemas this past weekend and it made me realise just how big of an influence MJ had on sports fashion. Not only did he popularise the Nike brand in professional basketball but he helped put the dominos in place for Nike to become one of the biggest fashion brands in the world and arguably the biggest sportswear brand out there.

2. PSG X JORDAN BRAND

PSG X Jordan Brand was a collaboration that took so many people by surprise when announced in 2018 including myself but I must admit it has been revolutionary. For a basketball brand to become the official sponsor of one of the biggest football clubs in the world is big enough but what they've produced in that time too cannot be ignored. Tracksuits like the one above have been staples in British sportswear for the last 5 years and the wine, gold and black one above was my personal first purchase and to this day still one of my favourite pieces of sportswear out there.

1. THE RELEASE OF THE JORDAN 1

I’ve shown a lot of love to the Male athletes on The Athlete’s Runway so far, I think its time I show some love to some of the best dressed Female athletes out there and give you guys my Top 3! 

3. Sue Bird (Basketball)

For me Sue Bird is one of the most overlooked style icons in sports. Her style is just different. She makes everything look so calm and relaxed, her style is literally effortless. 

Sue’s show collection alone would get her on this list, Dior Jordan 1′s, Jordan 1 all whites, Jordan 4′s and the staple black and white Converses. She also never fails to show off some of the eyewear she has in her collection and they all top off all of her fits so well. Any colour, any print any material, Sue Bird can make it work.

2. Serena Williams (Tennis)

First things first I have to pay homage to the legend of the game that is Serena Williams! 

Serena is one of the most decorated athletes of all time and to go with her accolades she can call herself one of the best-dressed athletes of all time too. She’s appeared on numerous Vogue and GQ covers and even the Vogue runway, as she has shown in the top picture wearing a custom Balenciaga tank dress with a cape in a silver laminated jersey. Not to mention some of her outfits at the Met like the one shown above from 2019 pairing her custom Versace gown with a fresh pair of Air Force 1s.

1. Liz Cambage  (Basketball)

My number 1 has to be Liz Cambage. Liz is a pioneer in sports fashion. She is a symbol of not just body positivity but also female empowerment. Her 6′8 ft frame does not stop her from putting on a showing every single time. I’ve seen her pull off just about every type of style from comfort sportswear, to casual to glam. I’ll let the photographs below do the talking on this one. Pioneer. 

My first pair of Jordans were the Jordan 1 Shadows. As a basketball fan, it was a huge deal for me to get my first pair of Jordans and to this day the Jordan 1s remain my favourite pairs of the Jordan collection. The shoe may look slightly similar to the Nike Air Force one but its dimensions are completely different. It's a tight and low shoe not as chunky as the AF1 meaning you can style it with almost any outfit. It works with cargos, tracksuits, jeans and shorts! to me it's the perfect shoe.

And with that being said I wanted to look into the Athletes that have put on the best display of my favourite pairs.

Micheal Jordan debuted the Jordan 1 in 1985

In 2019 the NBA's biggest sneakerhead PJ Tucker didn't just rock the Off-White Abloh Jordan 1s, worth up to $14,000, he played an hour in them in an actual NBA game. Maybe money does buy you happiness.

Earlier this week I was invited down to NikeTown in Oxford Street to celebrate superstar football player Erling Halaand’s new deal with Nike. Halaand has been one of the best players in the world this year so it’s no surprise that he was chosen to be the new face of Number 9 by Nike. He spoke about his ties to Nike and what the brand meant to his growing up watching all the best players sporting their attire. Halaand has expressed his interest in fashion in the past so it will definitely be interesting to see what else he and Nike can work together on in the future. He also pulled up in the new Nike Air Max Pulse that dropped just last week and made it look good enough for me to put in an order!

I also can’t forget to mention his appearance on the cover of GQ in February either. It looks like Haaland is definitely going to be one to watch in the sports fashion industry moving forwards, it may be his first big fashion deal but definitely not his last.

Jules Kounde has put the footballing world on notice this season since his big summer move to FC Barcelona not only for his work on the pitch but for his staggering style off of it.

Fc Barcelona is one of the only teams in the world in which their players are not required to wear team gear before games. Similar to how it’s done in other sports, players can enter stadiums displaying their own style and Kounde is one of the many players taking advantage of this. 

One thing is for certain in the first two pictures, Kounde is a huge fan of sunglasses, in particular Oakley sunglasses, it’s a staple of most of his best fits. Another brand Kounde is fond of is Prada and by the looks of the third picture, it looks like he deserves a sponsorship because he’s Prada’d down from top to bottom pulling off the smart-casual look he does so well. Picture 2 is a personal favourite of mine, its perfect. The glasses, the Amiri matching cargo trousers and denim jacket and the Salvatore belt. Perfect.

The last two pictures are further examples of how much Kounde has in his locker, you cannot box him in. The Frenchman paid a tribute to his birthplace in picture 4 rocking the Beret while also wearing the Canadian tuxedo A.P.C-Lacoste collab. Im not a huge fan of the last picture, but I have to give him props for still being able to pull off the 80s look with the fro and retro Adidas tracksuit.

Shai has been playing great on the basketball court all season long, averaging career-high numbers and being selected to make his first NBA All-Star game appearance. It's fair to say that the 24-year-old is having his best season yet, and he's done this all while simultaneously producing some of the best outfits off the court.

To put it simply, in my opinion, he is one of the best-dressed athletes in the world right now, he knows his stuff. Although Shai is Canadian, I can see a heavy NYC influence in how he chooses to step outside not only because of his choice of baggy GAP attire but also because of his choice to go with both the  Timberland boots and the Nike Air Force 1 shoes in pictures 1 & 2, staples of New York shoe/streetwear. I like that Shai knows his strengths, he's particularly strong in the dark clothing department and pictures 1 & 3 are perfect examples of that. He definitely isn't afraid to express himself though, choosing to brighten his fit every now and again with some vibrant colours. Picture 2 gets an 8/10 purely because he went out of his comfort zone and made it look fire!

Shai is definitely not perfect, picture 4 is a perfect example of doing too much. The colour of his jacket is bad enough and I think the MSCHF Astro Boy boots have potential but he's got it all wrong on this one.

The Athlete’s Runway

A blog centred around fashion in sports. Detailing and giving my opinions on the latest fits and collaborations across sports.

The Athletes Runway will give attention to athletes that have unique styles or even some who work with brands to put their styles on display.

My aim for this blog is to bring more attention/interest in the links between sports and fashion, hopefully, to promote more collaborations with big fashion brands and athletes/sports organisations in the future.