If you’re a St Andrews student like me, then you’ve noticed the elevated level of fashion that seems to surround this campus. Students walk around in everything from jeans and wool sweaters paired with white sneakers and Uggs to full-on suits. I’m pretty sure I’ve used the term “only in St Andrews” to describe student fashion more times than I can count. While I’m constantly in complete awe of those who walk around looking like they’ve just left the pages of Vogue magazine, as a North American, I struggle with the fact that the only absent fashion trend in St Andrews I’ve noticed is athleisure. As a result, I constantly find myself wondering why it is so uncommon to find athleisure being worn around town.
North Americans may understand my conundrum. In a world ruled by Lululemon and subsequent athleisure brands such as Alo Yoga, Athleta, or Nike not much else is ever worn. Sure, if you’re going out with friends or attending an event with a dress code, other attire (maybe Aritzia or Zara) is necessary. But even Aritzia’s most well-known product is the SuperPuff – an offshoot of athleisure, and Zara isn’t even American. Even though you can find people wearing athleisure around St Andrews, I can always count on the majority of people in class, walking the streets, or in the library to be dressed up. For Europeans to understand my shock, you all need to know is that in North America, pyjamas are the norm for high school. Then, during college, Lululemon and brands like it are commonplace on campus. Numerous universities across North America, including the University of British Columbia, the University of California Los Angeles, the University of Tennessee, and the University of Alabama actually partner with Lululemon for their merchandise lines. Bama Rush, which gained a considerable following on TikTok, features hundreds of girls on bid day wearing only Lululemon. While aspects of recruitment require dresses and heels, sisterhood and preference rounds are consequential in part, because of their fashion requirements. Compare this with the clean Scandinavian aesthetic featured throughout social media and fashion magazines, and there is very little American and European student fashion have in common with each other.
Why is this the case? Well, the answer comes from different histories that subsequently created different cultural norms. Until the First World War, US fashion predominantly followed the trends of Europe, particularly that of Paris, France. However, the rise of the United States economy during the ‘Roaring Twenties’ brought new fashion trends based on music, arts, and modernity. Although the Great Depression meant this decade ended most fashion advances until the 1940s, it showed the preferability for comfort among American women, which had trampled societal norms of fashion. While this doesn’t mean that European women didn’t follow the same trends as American women, the preference displayed among the American populous for these new fashions would soon epitomize American life in general. Values of comfort and modernity within North America would quickly lead to the invention of household appliances, fast food, larger cars, centralized heating, and multi-lane highways, all of which make life easier. Hence, convenience would be integral to the post-war American way of life moving forward.
Combining this love for convenience with the earlier mentioned love of modern fashion, athleisure would emerge as an alternative laid-back style of dressing. Valuing convenience meant athleisure was initially branded, culturized, and commercialized while portraying ease and comfort to the North American audience. While leggings, hoodies, sneakers, and puffers were suitable for the gym or a run, they also became convenient – and stylish enough- for a coffee, a grocery run, or school. Athletic pant fabrics from Lululemon are now designed to appear as cargo or dress pants with their “comfortable…fit” advertised as the most important feature. Branding athleisure as ‘lifestyle’ clothing to create a wider consumer reach, is a marketing tactic that has grown across North America. Whereas in Europe, a timeless, cosmopolitan look continues to be popular despite the inconvenience of picking an outfit that will impress. Nevertheless, that’s just my opinion as a North American from Vancouver, the birthplace of Lululemon and athleisure. As for St Andrews, I am sure that European-inspired fashion will continue to trump any other style for the foreseeable future.