Is 2024 “Year of the Jersey?”
By Zuza Gaboush
Jersey’s are nothing new to the world of streetwear. They have been trending in streetwear fashion almost as long as the style itself has existed. Sports jerseys are an integral part of streetwear fashion, and their popularity remains significant to this day.
A quick history on the jersey: originating in the late 1800s, sports jerseys have a long history that spans worldwide. First made from leather or thick, heavy cotton, these rudimentary designs were worn by Olympiads who attended the first modern Olympics in 1896, in Athens, Greece. These jerseys were primarily crafted from wool jersey, a stretchy, cotton-like material which served as the namesake for the garment. Fastforwarding to the mid 90’s, jerseys became key in the world of sports and their make-up changed from the thick and heavy textiles of the past, to new synthetic materials that provided elasticity and breathability for the wearer. These new jerseys were also more flashy, shiny, and had the capability to have colorful prints and designs that encouraged people outside of the sports world to start donning them in solidarity with their favorite teams and players.
The rise of jerseys in streetwear began sometime around 90’s, influenced by popular rappers such as Tupac, Snoop Dogg, Jay-Z and more–– the infamous video of Tupac in 1994, strutting out from his case in the New York Supreme Court while spitting on reporters as he rocks a Detroit Red Wings hockey jersey is one of the most iconic instances of streetwear and sports merging outside of a sports-centered event. In the same year, Snoop Dogg released his song, Gin and Juice, and donned a blue Springfield Indians hockey jersey in the music video. The line between streetwear and popular culture (aka music, aka hip-hop) has always been strong, and the correlation between the two always holds strong influence for the culture. It’s no surprise that once popular artists began to hype up jerseys, the streets and eventually popular culture took to this fad as well.
Today, jerseys have ingrained themselves as a critical element of streetwear fashion. Now, even mainstream brands like Urban Outfitters, Fashion Nova and more are selling jersey-like designs. More hardcore sports fans sell and buy jerseys through sites like Grailed, where vintage and authentic pieces go for hundreds, sometimes thousands of dollars. The most expensive jersey ever sold was Michael Jordan’s jersey from the 1998 Finals, which was sold for a jaw-dropping 10.1 million dollars.
Jersey’s have been around for so long that one can trace the evolution of its fit and style into the current world of streetwear. Brands are hopping on this historical trend and teaming up to create collaborations that merge the worlds of sports and fashion together. The collab between MENACE, an LA based streetwear brand and LA Galaxy, the powerhouse of Major League Soccer, resulted in a seven piece collection of hoodies, jackets and jerseys, representing the spirit of LA sports and fashion culture. But the inspiration behind these pieces aren’t always influenced by the jersey's traditional sports background. The beauty of the jersey is that it can be altered to fit a brand’s style and mission, while still retaining the history and familiarity that the piece is known for. To name a few, newer brands such as @arkyvs, @measure.life and @maybthiswillwork have just dropped some exciting new pieces; all jerseys with striking graphics on the familiar, loose-fitting, blocky jersey silhouette. The ability to alter and employ different colors, logo designs and materials is what makes the jersey so versatile, and this is evident in the new drops all these brands have released.
The brand @measure.life has dropped jerseys with bold, striped color palettes that are complemented by infinity symbols that replace the traditional number found on the back of jerseys. This piece is indicative of brands taking this familiar piece of clothing and altering it to reclaim it as their own.
Images by @measure.life
Similarly, @maybthiswillwork’s jersey uses embroidery (another element the jersey is well known for), to anchor their logo and create a three dimensional aspect of their piece, with their brand’s name printed on the front in bold, enticing graphics.
Images by @maybthiswillwork
Lastly, @arkyvs has implemented their signature star logo on a mesh jersey, complete with their brand name in a traditional black and white colorway. The comfort, style and malleable nature of the jersey allows it to be transformed and modified to fit the aesthetic of any brand, making it an exciting option for streetwear companies to redesign and add to their collections.
Images by @arkyvs
Today, jerseys are stepping into a new light of popularity in streetwear, and their future in fashion is an exciting new chapter. The impact of the jersey on streetwear culture will be reminiscent for a long time to come, and the versatility of this piece to be altered and redesigned a thousand times over secures its place in streetwear into the foreseeable future.
