Fighting Fashionably: The Rise of Style in Boxing

With the worlds of sport and fashion so heavily linked these days, it's hard not to value the role of an athlete as a marketing medium. Opportunistic in their ways, brands have approached teams, athletes and everyone in between since the turn of the 19th century for a chance to plug their goods on a sporting scale, so it's not exactly surprising that the fashion industry would be included in that mix.

In recent years, there has been quite a remarkable convergence between the fashion and sporting worlds, all driven by self-expression, style, and of course, money. Athletes have transcended their roles as just competitors and instead have become bona fide trendsetters, with brands keen to embrace these new advertising opportunities. This shift has not only altered the aesthetics of the sporting world, but it has also opened the door for new collaborative ventures between fashion designers and sports teams, athletes and more.

While luxury fashion's involvement is more of a recent thing, the idea behind bespoke garments in boxing isn't. The origins of fashion in boxing can be traced back to the early days of the sport, where pugilists would wear minimal clothing to maximise practicality and mobility. As the sport boomed in popularity, so did the entertainment factor, and charismatic fighters set out to align their apparel with the flamboyance of the whole show. Muhammed Ali was notably one of the first to embrace this new wave; with Elvis Presley even personally gifting the boxer the famed white bejewelled boxing robe he wore while making the walk to face Ken Norton in 1973.

Unlike team sports such as football and basketball, the lack of team uniforms has granted boxers sartorial freedom and has allowed them to use both their walkout and in-ring gear as a way to express themselves. Whether it be their gloves, shorts, boots, robes, gumshields, or even Deontay Wilder's infamous 40lb armoured costume, attire has become an essential part of getting yourself noticed in the sport. Long gone are the days of Iron Mike Tyson's all-black shorts, and instead, they've been replaced with a new era of showmanship. As a result, in the last few years, luxury brands have sought to create walkout and in-ring uniforms for a number of boxing's high-profile and upcoming stars.

Let's take last month's bout between Ryan Garcia and Gervonta "Tank" Davis, for example. Garcia, who had previously fought in a custom rhinestone bedazzled Dior outfit designed by Kim Jones, took to the ring wearing a black handmade silk pair of shorts from luxury designer Amiri. His opponent Gervonta Davis donned an eccentric purple and green combination crafted by NIGO's Japanese fashion label Human Made. The fight itself managed to sell a whopping 1.2 million pay-per-view buys, with the viral 7th-round knockout circulating around almost every corner of the internet, and fashion was centre stage.

To truly understand the fashionable side of pugilism, an expert take is required, and that's where Imtayaz Qassim comes in. Imtayaz Qassim is the founder of the label Bespoke Boxing, a luxury design house that specialises in creating custom tailor-made fight gear fit for both performance and style. Having created unique garments for the likes of current WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury, surging welterweight Conor Benn and even YouTube boxing star Jake Paul, Imtayaz Qassim is a master of his craft when it comes to creating quality fight-ready apparel. Bespoke Boxing even recently collaborated with none other than Everlast and Drake's OVO to provide Jared "Big Baby" Anderson with his fight kit for his recent stoppage win over George Arias.

Imtayaz can trace his love for the fight game down to the youthful age of eight years old when he started boxing and kickboxing. However, there was room for more than one passion in his life as he began to study fashion, eventually leading him to work for the likes of Represent and A-Cold-Wall* prior to the launch of his company. His official start came when he approached his close friend Joseph Cordina, a two-time IBF world champion and asked to dress him for his next fight, eventually leading to the take-off of Bespoke Boxing.

“Over the last few years, it has become very apparent to boxers that the fight outfits play a huge part in both the mentality going into a fight” he explains. ”As the saying goes, ‘Look good, feel good, fight good’, but it's also a way of telling their story, portraying who they are as a person and as a brand. All fighters essentially are their own brand, and the outfit is key to that.” While it's clear the importance of style in the sport is unquestionable in Imtayaz’s eyes, he does see luxury fashion’s involvement as a bit of a double-edged sword.

Regarding the point, he states, "The luxury houses stepping into boxing, of course, bring new eyes to the sport as well as showing the importance of style and fashion in boxing, but you have to ask why?" It's no secret that high fashion as a whole will sink its teeth into just about any sport or subculture it can get its hands-on, and it seems not even boxing is safe. "It’s just a marketing opportunity for them if we’re being honest, as opposed to wanting to be part of the Boxing world," he continues.

"The difference between, say, Dolce & Gabbana or Off-White creating a one-off bespoke outfit as opposed to an independent designer/business like myself is the passion for boxing and the boxers. Yes, the craftsmanship and the beauty of the garments is always there with the luxury houses, but I also bring that to my work, as well as my love for the fight game itself."

It's apparent that Bespoke Boxing's efforts are a labour of love as opposed to one done out of sheer financial gain, but luxury fashion's involvement almost poses the question of just why boxing seems to be its next foray into sports.

Imatayaz states, "I think it’s mainly for two reasons. One, because boxing has a lot more history and heritage than a lot of other sports, also 'bespoke' or 'custom' garments have always been part of boxing. And two, because it has a very wide commercial appeal and a strong loyal audience, it's a world of its own within the sport. Though I think we will start to see fashion make its way into MMA more."

With labels so desperately seeking to align their values with that of the consumer, boxing has presented an ample opportunity for luxury brands to occupy the same spaces as they do in football, basketball, golf and more, all from a combat sports perspective. With that said, It remains to be seen whether or not luxury fashion's presence within the boxing world will be a short stint, but with artists and creators such as Imtayaz approaching things from a passion perspective, it’s fair to say the sport is in safe hands.

You can find bespoke boxing on Instagram here. For more similar to this, check out Teeping Tradition: Fashion’s Unlikely Relationship With Martial Arts.