SCOTLAND'S TOP INDEPENDENT FASHION ... - Xile Clothing

Yogi‘s
sportswear
Adidas AC Holdall £55 (11588)
Yogi wears: Fila gillet £95 (12016), Fila Polo £40 (12266)
Ellesse TrackTop £65 (11422)
Adidas AC Vest £70 (11617)
Adidas Trainer £60 (11624)
Yogi wears: Ellesse polo
£45 (11418)
Yogi‘s
rant
There was a time when tracksuits (or as they are more affectionately known “trackies”) were the exclusive
preserve of the football thug elite and American rappers. Today the poor old trackie has fallen from grace
as a fashion accessory, not because they ain’t cool but because of the chavs and neds that adopted them
as a quick and useful item of clothing catering perfectly to their social needs. Let’s face it, if you live on the
scheme, you can be out of bed, dressed and signing on in under half an hour with a trackie. Trackies can be
also be washed and dried in next to no time, very handy if it’s your only item of clothing!
Let’s go back though, way back…Back to the days when British football teams were making headway in
Europe and young working class lads had a bit more dough in their back pockets. Trips to far off exotic
countries in the past such as Italy, Holland and Germany had previously cost a month’s wages for the flight
alone but by the mid 70’s everybody was going continental. Here in Britain the height of fashion was Fruit
Of The Loom jeans, a pair of Kickers and a Star jumper but those trips abroad were about to open young
thugs eyes to a new luxury item, European sportswear. After smashing up cosmopolitan shopping malls
and parades in Europe the lads would return with armfuls of Kappa, Fila, Le Coq Sportif, Sergio Tacchini and
Ellesse. Everybody loves to own an item of clothing that others admire but could never hope to own and
these boys were swaggering about in the best of threads.
Other sportswear influences came through the hip hop scene, Adidas and Nike were prized items of clothing
for the snappier dressers of the 80’s and then there was Troop. Troop trackies were the holy grail of tracksuits
and if you wanted the couture, crème de la crème of tracksuits you hopped on a flight to New York -as I did -
to Dapper Dan in Harlem for a tailor made leather tracksuit. Dapper Dan was tailor to
the black stars, LL Cool J, Run DMC and Mike Tyson all wore
Dapper Dan’s leather tracksuits and jackets. I had to wait in
the queue behind Scot La Rock to be measured up for my
“Gucci” leather tracksuit made in Dapper Dan’s Spartan
sweatshop by illegal immigrants.
Some sportswear items have remained cool, while
others such as Kappa and Le Coq Sportif have fallen
by the wayside a little as the cooler dressers opt for
fashion house brands. Today the Fila, Ellesse
and Adidas badges are still worn with
honour and pride across the
country. My wardrobe will
always have space for
the right trackie, not for
training purposes
though you
understand!
Yogi
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