During the last decade, motorsports has steadily risen in popularity and made its way into popular culture as a bigger crowd is exposed to the culture. In the 2010s big fashion names entered the world of racing by backing up teams in Formula 1 such as Hugo Boss, Tommy Hilfiger and Hackett. Although this collaboration was previously seen in the infamous United Colors of Benetton racing team from the 80s, it never really picked up the pace that it has in the last few years. What seems to fuel this unison of worlds is also the increasing popularity of streetwear, which we've seen foray into the world of high fashion as well. Streetwear emerged in the late 90s from hip hop culture and it quickly became a way for people to identify with their culture. The movement took heavy inspiration from skateboarding, punk, hip hop and Japanese street fashion.
The first one to fully embrace the motorsports inspiration was Marc Jacobs with his 2014 Fall/Winter menswear show. Designed by Karl Aberg and Spencer Phipps, the show was full of loud logos and graphics reminiscent of brash motocross design elements. This hybridization between haute couture and motorsports-flavored streetwear was received incredibly well and paved the way for other brands to follow.
Marcelo Burlon County of Milan was quick to follow with his 2015 Spring Summer show which revved things up (literally) as he started the presentation of his collection with stunt drivers, with the models wearing safety gear succ as chest protectors and goggles designed by Burlon himself. Although the rest of the collection took a very minimal implementation of motorsports into the design, it goes to show how this once separate world is now starting to fuse with fashion and make it more exciting in the process.
Moschino has never been about subtlety and their SS16 collection took loudness to the next level. With a crystal-clear inspiration by motorsports, the runway was designed as a car wash for the women's wear and as a baroque castle for the menswear. What stayed consistent through both shows was the motorsports inspiration that was paired with crowns and other baroque accessories.
In 2018, after officially sponsoring the Mercedes AMG Petronas team, Tommy Hilfiger dedicated an entire collection to their new venture in the world of motorsports. They even created a show that was all about the experience, making the look instantly shoppable from the runway. This collection featured both women's and men's wear and was a fusion of American heritage with modern athleticism. The pieces featured unique plays on shape, form and unexpected twists. Strong graphic elements like speed stripes, checkerboards and archival logos were to be found everywhere. It also was the debut of the Gigi Hadid collaboration with the brand.
While the world of high fashion was putting out collections and shows, the streetwear world was definitely not sleeping. Through the years, we have seen a large number of brands release items inspired by motorsports. We've seen brands like Palace, Supreme, Balenciaga, Rhude and many more come up with their own interpretations of motorsports in fashion.
There are brands that are inspired by motorsports and release collections with this influence and there are brands who revolve around motorsports. Such brands are 8Js, Period Correct, Anyways, Last Era and Tokyo Drive Car Club. Their entire collections revolve around car culture and motorsports, making them the niche brand of choice for many enthusiasts around the world. We've curated some of their best items which can be browsed below. For extra style points, we've also sourced some rare teamwear jackets from the late 80s to early 90s which will be a unique statement piece for any outfit.