THE JOURNAL
Photographs by Vincenzo Grillo/launchmetrics.com/spotlight and Blaublut-Edition.com/Daniel Bruno Grandl
Running has reached an unusual cultural peak, quietly slipping into the centre of how we dress. What was once a niche pursuit for early risers and marathon obsessives has become one of fashion’s most persuasive forces, shaping silhouettes, materials and the way modern menswear thinks about performance.
The visual language of running – lightweight, breathable, sculptural – has become everyday vocabulary. Shoes are softer, trousers looser, jackets more technical. It is no longer gym gear bleeding into civilian life; it’s a full aesthetic shift.
Much of this can be traced to a convergence of moment, mood and design. Running changed during the pandemic, when it became both an escape and a ritual. Clubs multiplied, apps made progress public and the act of running, logging miles, collecting medals or joining a community became an identity in itself. Just as skateboarding once functioned as a marker of belonging, running suddenly became a culture you could wear.
“Community changed everything,” says Oliver Hooson, co-founder of Your Friendly Runners and Knees Up, an East London shop, cafe and studio specialising in sport and lifestyle. “When you run with other people, you start to care about how the sport shows up in your life. Style becomes part of that expression. It’s not about looking fast. It’s about feeling like yourself.”
“When you run with other people, you start to care about how the sport shows up in your life”
This cultural heat was met by a wave of brands that understood not only how to engineer performance, but how to package it as desire. ON is the clearest example. The Swiss brand took the industry by surprise in the early 2020s, transforming its unusual, cloud-like soles into a fashion object, then deepening its influence through collaborations with the likes of LOEWE and Post Archive Faction.
For the first time in years, Nike and adidas, the long-standing titans, felt as though they were responding to, rather than dictating, the narrative.
“I’m never sure if people actually run in these collaborations, but I think they’ve helped move some performance styles closer to the way we all dress,” says Jack Stanley, a London-based editor, consultant and co-founder of SLOP magazine. “If you’re seeing people wearing a pair of ON sneakers by LOEWE to work or out to dinner, then it’s gradually changing perceptions of what people can wear in those settings. I think it’s all helping prepare the ground for a crossover shoe that works in both worlds.”
Alongside ON, a constellation of labels pushed running aesthetics into new territory. Parisian label Satisfy treated running like counterculture, infusing kit with raw hems, monochromatic palettes and a literary sensibility. DISTRICT VISION approached the category with a meditative calm, softening performance into something spiritual and serene, while Hoka’s maximalist cushioning, once seen as eccentric, became a modern uniform.
“The big change is that performance wear finally looks good,” Hooson says. “Running gear used to be purely functional, but now everything is sculptural and thoughtful. These kinds of brands don’t now just give people comfort, they give them silhouettes that make sense with the clothes they’re already wearing.”
Technical clothing’s refusal to die has also played a part in running apparel’s rise. Truth is, Gorpcore never truly passed, it simply became more refined. Waterproof shells, taped seams, ripstop nylon, trail shoes – these pieces shifted from novelty to normality. As men grew used to comfort, capability and practicality, running gear became an obvious extension of that desire.
Today, a pair of trail-running shoes with tailored trousers no longer reads as ironic. A moisture-wicking T-shirt under a cashmere sweater feels quietly elegant. A ROA shell jacket thrown over denim feels like the natural evolution of streetwear. Put simply: running gear has become a neutral wardrobe language that’s both functional, modern and democratic.
The question now is what comes next? Most observers expect a new classic to emerge, a running silhouette that becomes the default casual shoe in the way the Samba, Stan Smith or the Birkenstock Boston once did. It will likely be a pared-back, ultra-comfortable model, something sculptural that slips into everyday dressing without performance theatrics.
“Everyday clothing and running gear overlap more and more and I think that will continue with footwear,” Stanley says. “I’m sure there will be a shoe that blends everything you need for performance – comfort, ease, breathability – with a look that works no matter what you’re doing. It’ll be hard to tell which world it’s been designed for, and it will work just as well across both.”
“Running gear used to be purely functional, but now everything is sculptural and thoughtful”
A shift toward hyper-minimalism is also coming – cleaner uppers, invisible stitching, almost architectural lines. As the technical aesthetic saturates, refinement will become the new novelty. Luxury-performance hybrids, merino blends, thermo-regulating meshes and recycled micro-ripstops will also proliferate, bringing a softness and maturity to the category.
For anyone looking to fold running gear into their wardrobe, the approach is simple: start with shoes, choose neutral colourways and pair them with relaxed trousers or soft tailoring.
Use performance layers subtly – running gilets under coats or moisture-wicking base layers under shirts – and play with contrasts, technical shorts with an oversized knit or trail shoes with pleats. The goal is not to dress like a runner, but to borrow the clarity and comfort the sport has perfected.
“Both worlds are chasing the same thing,” as Hooson puts it. “Ease, clarity and purpose. Once you realise that, the crossover feels completely natural.”
Sure, we may not all be running ultra marathons. But we are increasingly dressed like men who could be.