You may be able to guess from the title, but the word 'tracksuit' gets me a little bit excited! The definition of 'tracksuit' describes, "a loose, warm set of clothes consisting of a sweatshirt and trousers with an elasticated or drawstring waist, worn when exercising or as casual wear." To me however, it means much more.
A tracksuit to me is a part of my identity, although it hasn't always been. I wore my first real tracksuit (left) in 2018 to Splendour in the grass, a festival in Byron Bay, Australia. At the time I wanted to stand out, so decided to design a tracksuit I could wear. I picked a pattern, fabric, and commissioned someone to make it for me. When I did this, my intentions were to just wear something cool to a festival, and I had no idea how that would change my style going forward.
After that day, I would wear that tracksuit to the shopping centre, out for meals, to the cinema, or just to run errands. It was my personality to stand out, and I started to notice the stares, looks of confusion sprawling across people's faces as they struggled to comprehend why a giant ball of cotton candy was walking past them in the grocery store. I started to think deeply about why people feel the need to fit in, and how they seemed to judge me for going against the grain, and I started to thrive.
It was at this time I decided to get some more tracksuits. I still didn't know how this would start to snowball, but I thought they were cool and they made me stand out in a coastal city where people wear ripped denim shorts, a crop top and thongs (jandals or flip flops for those of you who might misunderstand my slang) as the standard of fashion. I most definitely struggled with the heat in this regard, as living in Queensland is not exactly somewhere you would usually be seen in a tracksuit, but as I love to say, "style over comfort."
Since then, I've become more and more comfortable expressing myself for who I am and who I want to be. I genuinely feel more comfortable going out in a full neon patterned tracksuit or coordinated baggy outfit rather than some blue skinny jeans and a white tee. When I wear this sort of outfit (not to rain on anyones parade but what I would say is 'basic'), I feel an uncomfortable sense of hiding who I am. I feel as though if I walked through a crowd I would blend in with everyone else there and lose my identity, and this for me is a nightmare.
I have now 14 tracksuits here with me in London, and around 6 or 7 back home in the Gold Coast of Australia, and I have no plans of stopping here. They give me a sense of identity, a sense of standing out and going against the grain, a sense of never blending in. You can get a simple adidas tracksuit that could be considered basic, but style it with a chain and some chunky sneakers with a puffer vest, and you've got a look. Or on the other hand, you can get tracksuits you would never even imagine to be designed, and they solely make a look.
What I can now call a collection (with over 20 scattered across the globe I think I've earned the right to call it this), containing brands like Adidas, Jaded London, and Ellesse to name a few, my tracksuits are a part of me. They've played a big role in my style development, and my inspiration as a designer to ensure I stand out from the sea of normality. I wouldn't be the person I am today without them (corny, I know). And as much as I'd like to say I have acquired enough, I definitely know I'm only scratching the surface.
See my "full tracksuit collection" on youtube now https://youtu.be/bwpjJ9J4aK0 (missing 3 that I've ordered in the month since then.... oops).
xx
AKA
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