Over the past five decades, running has created a style of its own that has evolved in line with technological advances. Now it’s making the leap to lifestyle.
Style and running
Since the first big running boom in the 1970s, the style of runners has influenced trends in one way or another. Designs created for performance have adapted their lines to become trends beyond their original functionality. The use of sneakers in other contexts, for example, is related to the comfort of running models, which filled the streets of adidas SL72, Oregon or New York. The tracksuit also followed the same path. During the eighties, the use of lycra and bright colors emerged in sports contexts before making the leap to fashion. Of course, the influence also came in the opposite direction, runners adopted the glam or neon colors of the time.
Correr como un evento social
In recent years, running has forgotten the classic references to solitude, now running is a social event and running clubs have proliferated, becoming authentic meeting points for the community. What was once a solitary exercise is now a collective activity with its own vocabulary, rules and well-defined style. So much so that it competes with climbing to take over streetwear as a trend. Skateboarding or basketball, which in other moments have been key to the recovery of subcultures, give way to running, which is inspired by apparently antagonistic movements and jumps from technology to punk, from asphalt to trail, from intimacy to social networks.
As has happened in recent years with streetwear, running brands have become known through collaborations, Satisfy with Oakley and Crocs, Noah with Tracksmith or Koumori Brothers with adidas.
The carbon revolution
The carbon revolution, a revolution rarely seen in high performance, put the spotlight on running shoes that are experiencing a glorious youth and are beginning to conquer terrain far from the chronometers. No one was surprised that Pharrell Williams wore Adidas Adizero Adios Pro Evo in his Olympic relay or that Wales Bonner retrieved old Adizero shoes from the adidas archive for his collections, which were also presented by Ethiopian athletes.
The return of the Adizero PR, a shoe designed to break records and originally launched in Japan, also serves as a starting point for the adidas Adizero Aruku. A silhouette anticipated by rapper Gunnar, with lines that link it to one of the most successful sagas, the Adizero created by Toshiaki Omori.
A style that has definitely jumped from sport to lifestyle and that promises to become a trend in the coming months and that we will follow very closely in FOOTDISTRICT.