WHERE HAVE ALL THE GOOD RACE SHIRTS GONE?
On landfill logos, cotton vs. tech, and the case for making something worth keeping. Plus art and hot takes from artist Zach Litoff.
Welcome to TOGS! Here we explore the culture of fashion in the outdoors, test clothing and gear, poke at trends, and bring you interesting stories from people who sport in style.
Where have all the good race shirts gone?
Good folks of TOGS, it's Kellyn here.
Today requires a preamble: this opinion piece got a little spicy as I was click-clacking away. What follows is my honest opinion, from someone who lives and works in the world of sport and style, but it's not my wish to offend anyone or put down other people's work. Rather, I hope to nudge the industry forward.
If you work at a race—director, marketing, creatives—feel free to send this letter to your team. Reach out, I’ll even comp you a TOGS subscription. I’m serious! I don’t even care if you stay subscribed. Consider it a small bribe in the name of fewer shirts ending up in the trash.
As a human race, it seems that we are exceptionally proficient at not recognizing a good thing when we have it. Drive-in theaters, mid-century furniture, 4 day work weeks… and race shirts, to name a few.
(For the remainder of this letter, I’m lumping event garb from running, ski, and cycling races, triathlons, and the like under one term: ‘race shirts.’)
Let’s take a moment to reflect on how good we had it, shall we?
