Women's World Cup athletic kits have upped their fashion game

Major brands are embracing gender-neutral and size-inclusive clothing

England versus Nigeria women's soccer game
"It wasn't so long ago that professional women's teams had to make do with wearing oversized and badly fitting kits designed for the men's teams"
(Image credit: Joe Prior / Visionhaus via Getty Images)

The crossover of soccer and fashion has long been commonplace in World Cup kits. But this year's FIFA Women's World Cup athletic kits have stepped up their game, including gender-neutral tailored suits and more inclusive sizes.

Size inclusivity

But the steadily increasing popularity of women's soccer has fashion brands paying attention. "Soaring viewership means more eyeballs on the sport, and commercial partners, like kit manufacturers, will accordingly up their game," Miller said.

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And size-inclusive improvements in women's athletic kits are also attributed to the clothing being "designed by a majority of women-owned and women-led brands," FIFA's Federation News noted. And these women-centric athletic designs, in turn, create business opportunities for members of the women's teams to strike lucrative deals with fashion brands that previously weren't available. According to BBC, female soccer players are now more seriously considered for collaboration with major fashion houses.

Gender neutrality

Unisex clothing is certainly nothing new in fashion. Most recently, major brands like Telfar to Abercrombie & Fitch Co. created clothing lines that appeal to any gender. But now the fashion industry has turned its attention to women's soccer and creating clothing for a variety of body types.

And it's not just a matter of form. Function and the specific needs of women are also taken into account. When England's Lionesses team was provided uniform kits from Nike that included white shorts, players expressed concern about playing in white during their menstrual cycle. So the Football Association replaced the white shorts with blue ones, according to The Guardian.

In 2019, Nike, the biggest sports brand in the world, made a huge investment in women's soccer, sponsoring 14 of 24 teams from around the world, reported Fashionista. And it's these investments that not only prove beneficial for fashion brands and athletes, they are also beneficial in fostering a broader understanding of — and demand for — inclusive clothing for women beyond the world of sports.

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Kelsee Majette, The Week US

Kelsee Majette has worked as a social media editor at The Week since 2022. In 2019, she got her start in local television as a digital producer and fill-in weather reporter at NTV News. Kelsee also co-produced a lifestyle talk show while working in Nebraska and later transitioned to 13News Now as a digital content producer.