JC: What’s propelling the sport/fashion trend forward?

AB: It is a highly commercial look that is now quite ingrained in the fashion psyche; it’s easy to wear, comfortable, and versatile.

JC: How much of the movement is attributable to the comfort factor?

AB: I think comfort is a huge factor — what woman [or man! - ed.] doesn’t want to be comfortable in what she’s wearing!

JC: What’s the role of fabrication in the movement?

AB: For the area that I buy for – more holistic/yoga/pilates/loungewear — there is an element of technology to the fabrics. For instance the DKI Yoga line works with a special fabric to wick away moisture. Otherwise it is less important for this department than for a proper sports area.

JC: What makes sportswear such a fluid category to design in?

AB: I guess because there are so many influences to take inspiration from — the sportswear slant has come from so many different angles over the past few years; and it remains an exciting category area to reinvent.

JC: Is it a fashion revolution in the making where designer clothes will take the backseat to casual wear? Is the future of fashion about sportswear?

AB: No, definitely not — there is always a market for designer wear, granted its market share may fluctuate, but there is always a customer who wants that level of exclusivity and wow factor from designer clothes.

JC: Are women leading the movement, are they begging out of the harness for clothing that’s defined the last few decades?

AB: I think there is an element of that but essentially most women want to feel feminine and attractive and you can do that with this trend as well as with clothing that is considered stereotypically sexy. Lots of sportswear fabrics have been used on overtly sexy silhouettes and this works extremely well, so you get an underlying sportswear feel with an outward femininity.

JC: What designer{s} is leading the explosion in the category?

AB: Hommebody is consistently good and they are always innovating, Nuala was fantastic when it launched and really on the pulse of the time — for us their expansion into more of a lifestyle brand hasn’t worked as well.

JC: How are lifestyle-clothing brands like Hommebody, FAL by Jeffrey Grubb and Nuala positioned in this movement?

AB: Hommebody started off as a loungewear only brand and are now extending to brand to include maternity wear which we are stocking from S’04 and also Hommebody deluxe — beautiful draped eveningwear in a higher quality jersey than their mainline. All of this has been very well received by the customers.

JC: Can you distinguish between sport/fashion impact in America and Europe?

AB: The markets are, of course, very different — America tends to be behind Europe trend wise whilst things that work well in their market do not work here in London.

JC: What do you predict as the next step{s} for the trend?

AB: I think this one will run and run in some form for a long time. As long as designers are able to keep reinventing it to keep it fresh and forward looking.

Photos: Hommebody spring 2003
Gaspard Yurkievich
Y3 spring 2003
Hommebody spring 2003

Kim Jones for Umbro spring 2003