Over the last few years, the fashion industry has embraced a fair share of new subcultures. From an infatuation with skateboarding and its affiliated street style to hiking and trail running turned Gorpcore, the industry isn’t shy about latching onto and assimilating with the cool, new wave. With the end of 2023 in sight, it’s quickly becoming clear that the latest wave, F1 Racing, is to become fashion’s next and latest darling subculture.
For those who haven’t binged all of Netflix’s Drive to Survive (go do that, by the way), the F1 sport has been growing at breakneck speed over the last few years. The rapid growth comes on the back of the success of Netflix’s documentary and a few superstar racers who’ve already begun to transcend the sport. Lewis Hamilton, one of F1’s most popular drivers, has become a bona fide celebrity on the world stage. He’s been invited to, and attended, the Met Gala. He sits front row at fashion shows and he’s even been tapped for campaigns with brands like Valentino.
Though it may be a stretch to suggest that Hamilton’s influence alone has been enough to make it fashion’s next runway, the driver is a fashion influencer in his own right. On the other side of the coin, racing has long been a darling of brands in the streetwear space like Kith, Rhude, and Aimé Leon Dore. Over the last few years, Rhude has collaborated with Mclaren, Palace has partnered with Mercedes AMG, and several others have established longer term relationships with other major luxury car brands.
So get ready to go fast and check out the official StockX F1 Racing starter kit.
Sneakers
As far as footwear goes, there’s not an exact uniform that the majority of F1’s most stylish drivers or fans abide by, but there are some obvious options. Earlier this year, Jordan collaborator J Balvin showed a first look at his Jordan 3 collaboration, debuting the shoe publicly at the Miami Grand Prix. This sneaker is an obvious option, but if you’re looking for something the racers are actually wearing, you may need to be ready to bust out the wallet. In 2022, Pierre Gasly, one of the sport’s most fashionable drivers was seen wearing Louis Vuitton Trainers,and Lewis Hamilton was spotted in the same luxury brand’s Skate Shoes.
T-Shirts
With vintage shopping becoming more and more mainstream, it’s more common to run into someone interesting wearing a racing t-shirt. Due to the graphic-heavy nature of the sport, racing logos are an easy canvas. For their Mclaren collaboration, Rhude released what might be one of the best F1 graphic t-shirts of all time. The tee is made to look like one of the vintage pieces your coolest friend found bin diving at a thrift store, and the logos and text give it an authentic fee. Looking for something a little more budget-friendly? Check out Palace’s graphic-heavy collection with Mercedes AMG, where they delivered a unique shirt for every one of their physical stores.
Jackets
As a culture, racing is in the running for the best genre of jackets ever. Graphic-heavy, practical, and usually vintage-feeling, the racing jacket almost immediately gives off the energy of a Steve McQueen. Though Kith’s partnership with BMW didn’t feature a ton of professional racing-focused pieces, the Quilted Racing Jacket is potentially the collection’s strongest piece. If you like the racing vibe but aren’t quite looking for a full-on racing jacket, these from Aimé Leon Dore and Kith will have you feeling like a young James Hunt in no time.
Accessories
Whether you’re new to the sport or have been following F1 for a long time, racing accessories are a piece of the culture that everyone can get excited about. Whether it’s racing gloves for the die-hard fans or a logo-adorned umbrella, there’s no shortage of accessories to begin collecting. As a part of their partnership with BMW, Kith has delivered several fun and exciting accessories to add life to their collection. The hats, leather racing gloves, and keychains are great, but our runaway favorite is the Vitality Green Umbrella, with a subtly placed BMW logo. For something a little more refined, Aimé Leon Dore delivered a collection of scarves, hats, racing gloves, pins, and totes as a part of their collaboration with Porsche.
