When Naomi Osaka took the stage with her custom outfit by designer Yoon Ahn for Nike, it wasn't just about clothes — it was the signal of a new era. From WNBA jerseys styled as streetwear to tennis skirts reimagined on Miu Miu's runway, the increased popularity in women's sports has blurred the lines between athleticism and style.
Popularity in women's sports is bringing in new fans. Taylor Swift fans are donning their bedazzled Chiefs jerseys, models like Bella Hadid are styling Adidas Sambas with ribbon laces and sporty styles reached a fever pitch this summer with converted collaborations like Nike and Jacquemus.
Many companies are trying to appeal to their newfound female consumers, with brands like PacSun collaborating with Formula 1 to release their own sporting collections and McLaren releasing a new clothing line called "Hype" with Reiss.
"I always believe anyone gets to tell you themselves through what they wear," said Ayla Hulbert, a freshman studying fashion design and a Formula 1 fan.
Hulbert became a fan of Formula 1 over the summer thanks to the Netflix docuseries "Formula 1: Drive to Survive" and was drawn into the strong female fan base.
Susie Wolff, the managing director of F1 Academy, told Harper's Bazaar in May that female fans now account for 40% of F1's total fan base, due to the popularity of the docuseries.
With this rise of female viewership, many fashion and beauty companies are looking to capitalize on women, yet some fans like Hulbert were hesitant to buy into F1 apparel.
"You'll go on TikTok and girls will be posting videos like, 'I swear, if I get asked what DRS means one more time from a man ... I'm gonna rage,'" Hulbert said. "It's hard because you want to wear it and you want to support it, but there's this voice in the back of our head that shouldn't be there because it's this thing of proving yourself."
Though women have historically been discouraged from supporting teams due to traditional sports culture, the renaissance of women's sports has allowed many women to reclaim the pastime by taking items like jerseys and turning them into fashion statements.
Andrew Pecak, a freshman studying criminal justice, has been a longtime lover of all sports, especially football, and is happy that more women are also finding their love for games like football.
"There's a lot of different journeys that we all take to our sports, and I feel like sports can be a big part of people's lives and help them identify with something," Pecak said.
Sports-inspired outfits trending over the summer thanks to the renditions of shoes like Adidas Sambas and fashion brands collaborating with official teams like Skims designing the USA Olympic team's loungewear has showcased the further connection between sports and fashion.
"What we've been seeing for the past 3 or 4 seasons is that every line, even a traditional dress line ... they've been incorporating sneakers into their departments that they're offering," said Julie Ramsey, a professor of fashion retail merchandising at the University.
Call it the aftermath of a global pandemic, but since lockdown fashion has continued to take notes on comfortability and influencers, as well as athletes, are at the forefront of this trend.
"The more that we're seeing these women play sports on TV ... we become more and more accustomed to seeing these looks," Ramsey said. "We see it and we want to identify with that look, or that person, or that lifestyle and the more we see it, also the more we adopt it and want to wear it."
From catwalks to retail stores, it's clear the rise of women's sports has transcended the playing field for style. But like anything in fashion, it takes time to see where trends take off. Unlike fashion, though, women becoming more prevalent in sports — and resultantly influencing runways and closets alike — is a trend here to stay.
Edited by Andrew Dirst, Abigail Beck, Tiya Talwar and Natalia Jarrett.
Reach the reporter at thutche1@asu.edu.
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