International Sweatpants Day falls on January 21, so it’s a great opportunity to wear your favorite sweatpants and learn about the history of this now common piece of clothing.

At Clinmark we decided to celebrate this day on 20th of January by coming to our office in sweatpants outfits. We had a great time and the best “sweatpants outfits” were awarded with white socks!

Congratulations to the winners Marta Rzeszotarska, Katarzyna Sylwanowicz and Barbara Bubacz, and to all who decided to join and participate!

CLINMARK TEAM YOU ROCK!

It would seem that sweatpants are a fairly new “invention”. Meanwhile, their history dates back to the interwar period. The man who invented them founded his sportswear company Le Coq Sportif even earlier, in 1882. Initially he sold stockings, but had to wait almost 40 years for success. In 1920, he launched jersey pants, which were designed to allow athletes to move and stretch comfortably. This was a big change from the traditional clothing available for sale at the time, and contrasted especially with the tight-fitting pants that had dominated men’s fashion since the French Revolution.

Sweatpants, from their inception, were mainly associated with sports, with Olympic athletes, for example, wearing them. However, they came into wider consciousness only in the 1970s and 1980s, largely due to pop culture. Tracksuits appeared, for example, in the 1976 cult film Rocky, in Jane Fonda’s 1982 workout video or in music videos, such as those of hip-hop band RUN DMC. Manufacturers of this piece of clothing, seeing the huge demand, went beyond the traditional color of sweatpants – gray – and the typical cut. Today they are available in a wide variety of variations and designs.

The purpose of the holiday, which has been celebrated since 2009, is to make people aware that wearing sweatpants on a daily basis does not have to be strange and embarrassing at all. After all, everyone knows that they are comfortable, and we don’t always have to put on formal, tight clothes. In fact, this goal has long been achieved, nowadays many people choose sweatpants for a walk in the park, to the store for shopping, to visit friends and even to work. What’s more, sweatpants can be an inspiring part of a fashion creation, as proven by celebrities, for example.