Ellesse Clothing: Blurring the Lines Between Fashion and Sport

Comfortable and high-quality sportswear is key if you want to start getting more active. Whether you’re looking to start going to the gym, or try your luck in a certain sport (tennis, softball, skateboarding, or any other), the clothes you choose to wear need to be suitable for that activity. While you can find a variety of activewear on today’s market, it’s difficult to find clothing that is both sporty and stylish.

Can Sportswear Be Stylish?

If you can’t seem to find the right clothes to accompany you on your fitness journey, I suggest checking out the modern Ellesse clothing line. These clothes are available in a variety of colours and contain fashionable details that make the wearer stand out. The materials used are high-quality cotton and polyester that are lightweight and soothing to the skin. Ellesse pants are cosy and flexible, as well as practical. They contain deep-set side pockets where you can store your phone and other essentials while running or exercising at the gym (Yes! Pockets!).

Why the Name Ellesse?

Ellesse Australia is a popular clothing brand in the world of activewear that’s been around for over 50 years. In 1959, ski enthusiast and tailor Leonardo Servadio launched Ellesse in Perugia, Italy. He aspired to design the world’s most fashionable sportswear, blurring the lines between fashion and sport. Ellesse’s name comes from Leonardo’s initials, “L.S.”

The Innovative Jet Pant

On a trip to London in the early 1960s, Leonardo noticed some women’s trousers with a wide bottom and instantly got inspiration. The ski gear back then had little to no flair and style – and he decided to change that. He came up with a new concept for flared ski pants that brought a dose of chic in the skiing world. It wasn’t too long before the craze of this Jet Pant won over Italy and the world.

The Jet Pant had a revolutionary design with cushioned knees, jointed back seams, elastic waist yokes, and gaiters to keep snow out of boots. Rarely does a product have the effect and quickness of the Jet Pant in revolutionizing a market. Leonardo placed Ellesse’s penguin logo at the bottom of these pants as a symbol of respect. The arrival of the Jet Pant paved the way for the brand and made it prestigious.

Ellesse on the Skiing and Tennis Scene

Another design triumph came when Leonardo invented the quilted ski jacket. They became a stylish status symbol in a short period, appearing on St Moritz, Cortina d’Ampezzo, and Val d’Isère, as well as on the streets of Milan, Paris, and London.

The Ellesse clothing entered the field of high performance by sponsoring the national ski team of Italy, Valanga Azzurra. It was a watershed moment for the brand, which went on to become one of the most popular and well-known ski brands for the next 20 years.

There was a tremendous demand for Italian elegance and fashion in the tennis scene. For this reason, Ellesse launched a line of tennis clothing as well. The line introduced a new fit, style, and colour to tennis apparel, and it was an instant hit: the brand established a benchmark for the international ski and tennis community.

Becoming a Worldwide Brand

Ellesse’s global development began in the 1980s when the company was distributing their clothes in a hundred countries across the world. They started building their reputation on a deep awareness of the need for stylish clothes among consumers, as well as a connection to sports through world-class sponsorships.

Ellesse began sponsoring top-ranked tennis players Chris Evert and Guillermo Vilas in the early 1980s. Evert (also called the ‘darling of tennis’ and the greatest women’s player at the time) was astonished by Ellesse’s clothing line, which she mentioned on several occasions.

Boris Becker, just 17 years old, made tennis history by being the youngest player to ever win Wimbledon in 1986. He did it while dressed in Ellesse clothing that would become famous. The company moved on to other sports in the 1980s. In 1982, they sponsored the winning Italian football team at the FIFA World Cup. Ellesse excelled in a variety of sports, including Formula 1, surfing, and golf.

Ellesse in the 90s

Ellesse achieved sports accomplishments in both skiing and tennis throughout the 1990s. In the early 1990s, Ellesse went back to the slopes for inspiration, creating the ski jacket ‘Magic Air’, which was constructed of a material that retained warmth. Olympic skier Jean-Luc Crétier wore their ski outfit to win gold at the Nagano Winter Olympics in 1998. After that, Time magazine featured an iconic photo of him on the cover.

The brand was also a fixture on tennis courts all around the world. They sponsored Anna Kournikova, who won the European Championships and the Italian Open. Ellesse was the gear sponsor of the Italian Open in Rome three times throughout the 1990s, continuing a long legacy of association.

This brand grew into a global casual fashion brand, attracting new customers in ever-expanding regions in the decade when athletic clothes started becoming fashionable. If you still haven’t decided on what kind of activewear to get, I suggest that you grab your favourite sports shoes and modern clothing of the Ellesse brand which is loved by both professional athletes and fitness enthusiasts around the world.