Get the latest gossip

‘When I wear this shirt, I feel part of a tribe’: how running club merch became a marker of cool


Casual running clubs that give members the chance to exercise and socialise are popping up all over the UK. And each one is developing a style of its own

Douglas and her partner Joel Sanders established RBC 18 months ago, joining the likes of Your Friendly Runners(Hackney), Mafia Moves(Tottenham) and Scrambled Legs (Battersea) in the capital. Photograph: Adrian VarzaruConsidering the nature of the core consumer base – young, creative, affluent, style-conscious and social media savvy – it’s perhaps unsurprising that the running club shirt has also become a marker of cool in day-to-day style. Gaia Di Siena, senior brand marketing manager at Everpress, says sport has long been a recurring theme, but describes a recent “phenomenon” of “run-themed” T-shirts, with many promoting completely fictitious clubs.

Get the Android app

Or read this on The Guardian