From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A tracksuit is an article of clothing consisting of two parts- trousers and a jacket. It was originally intended for use in sports, mainly as what athletes wore over competition clothing (such as running shirt and shorts or a swimsuit) and would take off before competition. In modern times, it has become commonly worn in other contexts.

Tracksuits were very popular with the hip hop and breakdancing scene of the 1980's. During this period tracksuits were manifactured from a mix of triacetate and polyester making them extremely shiny on the outside - ideal for breakdancing on smooth floors and yet fleecy on the inside ensuring comfort for the wearer.

From the late 1980s through the mid 1990s tracksuits were in fashion, however today, in the UK, they are largely seen as the common form of dress of chavs.

In the US, however, variations on tracksuits are still, in some circles, completely acceptable forms of casual wear, although the items are more commonly worn as separates - a hoodie and coordinating, but not matching, sweatpants or yoga pants, for example. It's rare to see someone wearing an entire, matching tracksuit. That type of outfit is more commonly seen on elderly people, and is not considered fashionable, with the exception of the New Jersey - Staten Island - Brooklyn area, where it continues to be fashionable blue-collar leisure wear in certain circles.

In the film Game of Death. Bruce Lee famously wore a yellow tracksuit instead of more traditional kung fu clothing. He did this to demonstrate that Jeet Kune Do was a modern purely practical way of fighting and not the pretentious art of traditional kung fu.

Tracksuits are associated (stereotypically) with the chav subculture in the UK, as well as with other "hoodlum" subcultures around the world such the Guidos of East Coast USA or the Dres of Poland. The reasons are speculated:

• If wearing the full tracksuit, you can easily hide stolen items under your clothing
• One can also hide quite large weapons, such as knives or baseball bats, or a plumber's pipe
• Ease of movement. escaping in a loose tracksuit is much easier if chased by police, especially during fights and riots.
• Brand name tracksuits are worn to show off the wealth of the individual.
• A very famous brand is Juicy Couture which was invented by Craig Pollack.

Tracksuits are also often associated with Hip hop fashion specially with Old school hip-hop. This is because, as stated earlier, tracksuits provide easy mobility for breakdancing due to the fact that they are loose-fitting as well as it's ability to slide on smooth surfaces by providing minimal friction.

Tracksuits of certain brands have a stronger preference for fashion purposes. These include:

• Adidas
• Puma
• Nike
• Le Coq Sportif
• Sergio Tacchini

• Sweatsuit
• Sweatpants

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