This content has been created in collaboration with Lacoste.
It's not often a trend sticks around in the style stakes for as long as the sports-inspired has. Rarer still that an item of clothing initially created simply for functionality takes on must-have status.
It was in 2013 that trainers started to step their way up the sartorial ladder, graduating from something bought by the majority purely out of exercise-led necessity to one bought for aesthetic reasons, to help create a look that was becoming increasingly popular on the catwalks and beyond.
It coincided with a societal shift in our attitude towards health and wellbeing. Even if we weren't participating in the latest fad, we wanted to look like we were. Even if we weren't planning a one-hour post-work gym session, we wanted to look like we could be.
Most fascinatingly, this is a trend that didn't trickle down from the high-end brands to the high street. In fact, it did the complete opposite, starting at street level and working its way up.
Soon Chanel and Dior were creating haute couture versions in glittering tweed and layered with embellishment, respectively, only elevating our thirst for sports-inspired footwear further.
But what's key is why we embraced, and continue to hold on to, this trend so faithfully.
It's all down to sporting heritage, a trend that has always been there, simmering below the mainstream but has now been brought to the fore - and that is where Lacoste, a storied sports brand comes in.
By using its vast knowledge of trainers it has seamlessly combined heritage and practicality with the latest trends; the high top, tennis silhouette and classic runner silhouette, catering for every trend-led desire without compromising on comfort.
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