Merriam Webster suggests that, despite its booming popularity in 2020, the word “athleisure” actually dates back to 1979 where Nation’s Business magazine defined the trend as “a boom in apparel and footwear designed for those who actually participate in sports — and those who just want to look as if they do...”. One brand in particular was, in its heyday, so camp in its nature that it epitomised this irony completely. It managed to encompass everything that is ironic and indulgent into a two-piece ensemble worn by it-girls and schoolgirls alike. Its power was undeniable; that it set the precedent for athleisure today is unquestionable. I am, of course, talking about the Juicy Couture tracksuit.
Juicy Couture was founded by Pamela Skaist-Levy and Gela Nash-Taylor in 1997. The brand was born out of frustration – unable to find well-fitting maternity jeans, the duo decided to design their own. On a mission to create clothes that were both sexy and comfy, they started to experiment with terrycloth and velour to create fitted, low slung tracksuit bottoms and matching cropped jackets. Instead of urban athleisure, these tracksuits suggested reckless yet pampered abandonment. They were extreme and indulgent; frivolous, yet serious.
First, let’s talk about the material. There is nothing sporty about terrycloth or velour. In fact, it’s so audacious of the brand to pair these materials with a sporty silhouette that it seems as if the entire thing exists as some part of elaborate joke. The only thing more audacious than a velour tracksuit, you ask? Calling it couture.
The bravado of this tracksuit, however, does not end there. Not only do we have the wonderful juxtaposition of “Juicy” and “Couture” in the name, but that name is most often emblazoned on the bum in flagrant diamante rhinestones. Tiny circles of cheap plastic masquerading as luxurious diamonds: the most tongue-in-cheek take on couture there has ever been. The fact that they are used to plaster “juicy” across the wearer’s more-than-likely not at all juicy arse? Phenomenal.
What helped solidify these outfits as the zeitgeist of the 00’s was the people who wore them. Yes, the individual components of the Juicy Couture outfit were over the top and ridiculously extravagant – but put them on the bodies of the likes of Madonna, Paris Hilton and J-Lo, and these outfits somehow became so much more. They were for girls-gone-wild and girls-gone-to-buy-milk: perfect for red carpets, music videos – and the morning Starbucks run.
Being worn, and adored, by the Paris Hilton’s of this world meant that before long, Juicy Couture embodied the Paris (Hilton) lifestyle. This is mainly down to the ahead-of-its-time marketing strategy that Skaist-Levy and Nash-Taylor adopted. A messenger service would pull up to the Juicy Couture warehouse up to ten times a day to take free tracksuits to the most coveted women across Hollywood. These days, brands gifting their products to celebrities and influencers is nothing new; but it was incredibly ahead-of-its-time when Juicy Couture did it. The tracksuit symbolised bitchy-coolness, the girl who wore the juicy couture tracksuit was the girl everyone else wanted to be. Pair this genius marketing strategy with the birth of TMZ (2005), the invention of YouTube (2005), and Us magazine moving from printing monthly to weekly in 2000, and the iconic tracksuit was inescapable.
Like Paris, the Juicy tracksuit was hot. Like J-Lo, it was real. And, like Amy Poehler’s iconic character in Mean Girls, it was cool. The tracksuit transcended all fashion boundaries simply by existing – something that few other items that are affordable for the masses have achieved. It was ahead of its time in the same way that those who wore it were. Paris was aware that the concept of celebrity was changing, that the new era of celebrity would not make it for talent or skill, but for their extreme exploitation of attention, and she succeeded in part due to her unironic and wholehearted love for Juicy Couture.
Despite the myriad iconic pop culture moments that the Juicy tracksuit has been a part of, the brand suffered a hit after the 2008 recession and struggled to connect with their consumer. After a few attempted comeback partnerships and the release of Juicy Couture Black Label in 2018, it was clear that the brand won’t ever be as popular as it was in the 00’s. Though perhaps this is for the best. The Juicy Couture tracksuit is embedded in our memories as one of the most iconic outfits of recent decades, and aren’t things always sweeter when they are embedded with nostalgia? Plus, our lives don’t have to be entirely devoid of the look. After all, a fuchsia pink tracksuit was added to the permanent collection at the V&A in 2015, solidifying its status not only as epochal, but as high fashion. Couture, if you will.
Comentários