🇬🇧 For fashion and sports staying dry is the new status symbol - Cool Haunted by nss magazine
Technical fabrics, UV protection, and performance apparel are making inroads into the luxury market, just as climate change transformed the way we dress
This year Pitti Uomo 110 kicked off during one of the worst heat waves ever recorded in Europe. In mid-June, while the city of Florence was burning under nearly 37 degrees Celsius, editors, buyers and influencers tried to present the best version of themselves in front of dozens of photographers fully equipped to capture the best street style looks of the season. Faced with an endless number of fans and just as many sweat stains in Florence’s showrooms and squares, one cannot help but wonder whether fashion is doing enough to protect its customers from extreme heat. Will a linen suit really be enough?
We don’t know if you know, but it’s almost impossible to convince a peacock at Pitti to leave at home the tailored jacket they planned to wear for their favorite event of the year. Judging by the weather conditions of the latest edition, however, sooner or later even they will have to abandon the suit in favour of a T-shirt: according to the latest report on Indicators of Global Climate Change (IGCC), given current emission levels, by 2030 the world will exceed the critical temperature threshold needed to avoid the irreversible effects of climate change. In short, in four years peacocks will have to pose in temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius.
While on one hand fashion is not doing enough to fight the climate emergency - so much so that in recent years it has actually reduced efforts and investments in sustainable initiatives - it seems to be starting to take an interest in producing collections engineered to combat heat, protect from the sun and guarantee breathability. This is the case with the TechWear from Balenciaga’s Pre-Fall 26, which includes breathable, antibacterial, quick-drying garments with integrated sun protection, or Claudent, an emerging clothing brand creating UV-protective apparel that is beginning to gain attention among American celebrities and the like.
«As temperatures rise, the idea of technical garments as urban luxury feels not only plausible, but increasingly inevitable», confirms Nick Paget, Senior Menswear Strategist at WGSN. Clothing designed for extreme heat represents the next growth opportunity for European luxury, adds the expert, also because until now the sector has generally focused on creating garments that protect against cold and precipitation - see the water-repellent linen from Loro Piana Rain System® and the treated fibre from Middle Distance, the Glasgow-based brand that collaborates with Stone Island, Massimo Osti and C.P. Company, among others.
To develop highly functional wardrobes, with breathability and integrated sun protection, luxury will have to take inspiration from sportswear, which has already made enormous progress in the field. Just a few days ago, Norwegian athlete Stian Dahl Sommerseth won the Eiger Ultra Trail 100K in the Swiss Alps wearing Satisfy, a brand founded in Paris in 2015 from the need of founder Brice Partouche for sportswear that was highly performing but not boring. Among the specific technologies launched by Satisfy this year is HeatCrushâ„¢, a type of mesh and micro-jersey developed in Japan that is sweat-reactive to enhance cooling during physical exertion.
Breathable fabrics, temperature-regulating materials, UV protection and monitors for sole wear and hydration levels are becoming essential elements for outdoor training enthusiasts. But you don’t need to run 101 km with 6,700 metres of elevation gain under the July sun to appreciate protective clothing: the trend is being driven by technical brands such as Satisfy, but it is also influencing those positioned between sportswear and urban lifestyle, such as Lululemon, Arc’teryx and Gramicci. According to analysts’ forecasts, the protective clothing market is growing rapidly, valued at $1.74 billion in 2025 and expected to reach $3.34 billion by 2034.
Soon, consumers will look for the same performance offered by sportswear in luxury clothing, and this is the result of the new positioning that the world of sport has achieved internationally. «For Gen Z especially, fitness and wellbeing have become synonymous with luxury: the luxury of having the time, space and resources to stay healthy», adds Paget.
While being able to afford the right clothing for training has become synonymous with luxury, more and more athletes are entering the fashion world, with the most recent example being Erling Haaland and his collection of Hermès bags. Meanwhile, more and more brands are becoming interested in sport-inspired aesthetics, from tennis to Formula 1. The boundary between the two worlds is becoming increasingly blurred, and their respective wardrobes are merging as well.
«Consumers now expect clothing to work much harder - continues Paget - A garment needs to feel comfortable on the couch, support performance in the gym and still look considered in social settings. It signals a kind of successful, wellbeing-led lifestyle». According to this new status symbol, casualwear is no longer casual, but developed with next-generation materials, even when it comes to a pair of sweatpants worn while watching television on the sofa, post-workout. Using Moncler as an example, Paget adds that «performance as status is already deeply embedded, especially among urban consumers who may not technically need extreme performance gear but still value what it represents».
In short, very soon breathable shorts and UV-protective T-shirts could manage to replace designer shirts and sunglasses, transforming events such as Pitti and Fashion Weeks into survival competitions, where the winner is the one who sweats the least. However, as demonstrated by the hailstorm that hit Milan during Bad Bunny’s show last Saturday, sun protection might not be the only type of protection that fashion will have to bet on.
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