The Making Of Keely Hodgkinson’s ‘Sports Personality Of The Year’ Gown
The worlds of fashion and sport continue to blur as designers increasingly find inspiration in the strength and resilience of athletes, while sportspeople simultaneously come to understand how important looking great can impact how good you feel and, therefore, perform. Take Keely Hodgkinson and her KNWLS x Nike gown for the 2024 Sports Personality Of The Year Award ceremony.
The winner of the top award of the night collected her accolade in a sleek cut out gown that was a collaboration between the South London-based KNWLS and the global behemoth Nike.
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Talking to ELLE UK ahead of her big night, the Olympic gold winner described the look which was styled by Aimee Croysdill who also works with Nicola Coughlan and Ellie Bamber with Messika jewellery, as ‘unique, one of a kind, special, and a bit edgy.’ It’s true. The look blends together Nike’s Swoosh logo with the svelte, second-skin design hand that has long defined KNWLS’ cult fashion language. ‘It’s a really exciting collaboration that I have loved seeing coming to life,’ she added.
Made in Charlotte Knowles and Alexandre Arsenault’s South London studio, the dress was in part inspired by KNWLS’ SS25 collection. ‘We were inspired by this photo of an antique embroidered silk stocking we found and we thought it would be fun to do a Nike version of it with the Nike swoosh embroidered tonally replacing the floral embroidery,’ they told ELLE UK.
As those fashion and sport lines continue to blur, it means that independent brands like KNWLS can see their work exhibited in new spaces and, in the case of SPOTY, broadcast to millions across the country. ‘It’s incredible. We also love that it is taking KNWLS in a context that revolves around sport,’ Knowles and Arsenault added. ‘It has been such a great process. Keely embodies the KNWLS attitude and strength in a way that is very authentic and physical, which is always inspirational.’
And the feeling is mutual. Hodgkinson, who won gold in the 800 metres at the Paris games, said that her dream evening dress for such a fete as this evening is all about a ‘dress that makes you feel your best self and that gets you excited about the thought of putting it on. It has to make me feel elevated and put me in the right frame of mind for the occasion I’m about to attend.’ No doubt that those that cheered her on in the summer and willed her to win Sports Personality Of The Year will agree that this dress does just that.
Three cheers for Keely! Three cheers for KNWLS, too!
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