A view shared by Olivier Lorans CEO of New Balance France

Manna is too beautiful! With a market of sport estimated 29 million euros for one Hexagon, and difficult for circuit mode in constant search of diversification to resist such an appeal to air. A business to put into perspective with the evolution of mentalities. Just take a look in the rooms of fitness, to look on the joggers surveying the asphalt of the cities or to observe skate and ski tracks to see that, now, physical effort, is double real aesthetic value. For a little, and in the light of the logos of the brands listed on these outfits, one would think is parachuted in a host of fashion addicts waiting for the parade of a creator in sight.

Prada, Missoni, Escada, Gucci, Daniel Hechter, Cerruti, Celine, Versace, Vuitton, Rykiel, Hugo Boss, Zegna, recordable, Pucci. Here are some of the sape tenors who did not hesitate to invest the niche in the sport since 15 years by developing specific rows. A phenomenon dating back much further for some luxury claws. Hermes and Chanel can boast decades of having accompanied sports recreation of their affluent clients.

A permeable border

A boundary between fashion and sport made even more permeable with the launch of the brand Lacoste in 1933. By inventing the polo piqué cotton with a small crocodile instead of the heart-sleeved for his own comfort, René Lacoste, tennis "musketeer", asked how the first stone for the building of the "loan-to-sporter. Operation polo, under all the seams and colors, made later as the very rich hours of brands such as Célio, workable and Eden Park (claw co-founded in 1987 by the former rugby player Franck Mesnel). Same thing with shorts. Displayed for the first time on the tennis courts during the thirties, he is down in the street and become a real trend piece.

An example of this merge mode and sport than former Italian tennis champion Sergio Tacchini has made available to the public by launching its brand in 1966. First, he brought to the garment of sports the colours of the ready-to-wear. Despite the growing popularity of the general public to the world of sport and its athletes, number of brands specializing in this area long showed the girl to fashion plans. "Sport marks have had great difficulty trying to an opening towards the creators." For cultural reasons. But also due to a radically different approach at the level of catches of command because in sport the volumes produced are huge. "However, vested share creation is neglected", explains Dominique Heil, Director of the Lacoste collections. Since 2000, the mark to the crocodile is the Christophe Lemaire Creator who has orchestrated the dramatic rejuvenation of its clothing lines and accessories.

The spark is fired by... feet. "The phenomenon of sport-mode as it consumes today started in the 1980s, with the shoes very quickly took the streets", says Jean-Marc Gaucher, pioneer in the field since he launched Reebok in France. The mark had won the jackpot with his "Free Style", rising black leather basketball adopted by a female clientele which had, until then, little interested competitors Adidas or Nike. It is he who is now the author of the renaissance of Repetto.

A mode key and urban

To broaden his audience, the dance shoe brand has undertaken to seduce fashionistas to start the collaboration of designers known as Yohji Yamamoto, Rei Kawakubo (and boys) or Catherine Malandrino who brought a mode key and urban in its ballerinas.

"All first arrived by the woman." "From time sport brands have begun to look at it, the question of the mode inevitably arose", confirm Sophie Dumont and Luc Biermé, buyers and leaders of textile product for the Citadium, this temple of urban sport store. A view shared by Olivier Lorans, CEO of New Balance France. Even if the beautiful sex represents only 40 of a French market of more than 60 million shoes sport and assimilated sold each year, "the bulk of consumers consists of 12-20 years to buy sport products not to practice, but to go in the street." "Here, talking mode while the United States seeks comfort above all", he said.

Seduce women as teens and young adults, marks of sport, somewhat concerned to see the "modeux" snack a little too much their share of the cake and eager to climb in range in terms of image, are more reluctant to put the package in this race to the loan-to-sporter. Starting with Adidas. Its partnership ago three seasons with English designer Stella McCartney for a women collection based around the gym, swimming, the running (and tennis from next summer) made a cardboard from consumers. Sport or not. "We spend this year of 30 to 100 outlets in the world distributing this line which belongs to our Sport Performance division," said Emmanuelle Gaye, spokesman for the group. In 2002, Adidas also made an agreement with Yohji Yamamoto in the Sport Style division, authorizing him to draw and interpret the three bands on specific collections for the woman and the man branded Y3. Collections are an exclusive distribution in the Yohji Yamamoto, Y3 and a few ultrapointus multi-brand shops.

Another German giant Puma is rest, which multiplies its footwear lines and textile collaborations with creators like Yasuhiro Mihara, Alexander Van Slobbe, Philippe Starck, Neil Barrett, and Alexander McQueen. Great impetus also to fashion in the New Balance American who develops a partnership with Japanese designer Kitsune series limited only sold footwear boutiques like Colette. Same opening to the creators in Eagle who asked Eric Bergère to design some of its models, or Nightingale which uses Jean-Charles de Castelbajac (since 2002) and Pucci (since 2004) to draw some of its clothing and accessories for skiing. The Australian brand of swimwear Speedo following the movement by entrusting the creation of a few articles to the very avant-garde such as boys and to the Brazilian glamour beachwear specialist Rosa Cha.

The older models republished

Merge mode and sport still amplified by the wave of the vintage that grows some specialists to republish their historical models, like the claws of luxury. As Adidas with its inheritance, and Asics line (created in 1949 by the Japanese case Kihachiro Onitsuka) which does not hesitate to give the taste of the day all his old lighthouses shoes. Or even New Balance which, for the celebration of its centennial in October, will republish three of its older models. Found them in a dozen stores in France (including the indispensable Colette in Paris).

Translation of a new hedonism where the well-being and the cult of the body is required as of inseparable referents, the loan-to-sporter looks good party to continue according to the professionals. A trend heavy, encouraging the fashion brands to more and more of iconic athletes to provide an image for their products: Zidane for Dior, Gillardino Zegna and Tony Parker for tienne.