Summer sportswear trends: Jorts to tees, and in-between

ZAYLAN NOBLE

SNE Vintage co-owners Sam Cowher (left) Elijah Barnes are football teammates at Wingate University.

Summer is the season for expressive fashion, colorful styles and bold prints.

At the Charlotte Vintage Market, which hosts more than 40 vendors, it’s a showcase of styles from sportswear to more contemporary styles and accessories like rings and hats.

Vendor Jacob Fuller’s primary choice is vintage sportswear, as he is a very big fan of sports from previous decades.

“I love sportswear, especially the old ‘90s like Mitchell and Ness,” said Fuller, who has run his booth full-time over the last three years. “My big thing is jerseys, so anything sportswear because I’m a big sports head.”

Fuller said many of the popular items are from quality brands that have been popularized in recent years.

“I see a lot of people buying good Carhartt pants and stuff like Y2K has been popular now,” he said. “Charlotte sportswear especially does really good also. There’s a whole variety of what people want.”

Fuller also said much of the sportswear he sells can be worn year-round, such as hats and jerseys.

“You can wear a good jersey during the summer or during the winter because during the winter, you can throw it over a hoodie and style it that way, or during the summer if it’s hotter outside, you can get a nice baseball jersey and open it up a little bit, so it’d be cool and stylish,” he said.

SNE Vintage co-owners Elijah Barnes and Sam Cowher agreed.

“I’m definitely big on the oversized T-shirts, jerseys and jorts for sure,” said Barnes, who, like Cowher, plays football at Wingate University. “And I really like a loose fit, almost like beachwear with the Birkenstock clogs or some slip-on shoes and some glasses or regular shades.”

Said Cowher: “I’ve been on the Asics and New Balances recently. They’re definitely the wave right now.”

SNE sells items such as jean shorts, or jorts, NASCAR-themed shirts, hats and jerseys.

“In the summertime, people are definitely into jerseys, and then even just some jorts,” Barnes said. “People ask us for jorts every day, so we have to make sure you get those all the time. NASCAR is turning into the regular black or white tee now, so everybody’s getting a NASCAR shirt. That’s just the first sale that’ll catch somebody’s eye.”

Cowher also said accessories are important, too.

“I’ve been wearing bandanas a lot recently, wearing multiple chains with different lengths, just things like that,” Cowher said. “Rings, watches, those are things you freestyle based on the
outfit.”

The next Charlotte Vintage Market event is July 13 at Petty Thieves Brewing Company, 413 Dalton Ave.

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