Frequently Asked Questions...
  1. Where can I obtain these items...
  2. How can I tell if a Tracksuit is from the 70's/80's...
  3. Why don't manufacturers still make the old designs...
  4. What is Old-School...
Where can I obtain these items...
Charity shops, car boot sales and retro shops are your best bet. A significant amount of this collection was purchased during the 80's from sports shop clear out sales. It's very unlikely that such shops will have anything left now from the 80's. So 2nd user is the only source.
It's also worth hounding rag merchants because Charity shops throw a lot of tracksuits. I was told by a volunteer of "Help the Aged" that if they had received something like the Colorado hooded top I'm looking for, they would of binned it! Check out the Sell/Buy/Swap for details of 70's 80's retro shops.
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How can I tell if a Tracksuit is from the 70's/80's...

Likely to be 70/80's if it's made from:-

Likely NOT to be 70/80's if it's made from:-

Polyester/Triacetate or Acetate or Cupro mix. e.g. 60% Polyester, 40% Triacetate. Trilobal Nylon. Polyester or Nylon Taffeta.
Nylon/Triacetate (or Acetate) mix e.g. 55% Nylon, 45% Triacetate. In the case of Adidas, if the 3 stripes are made up from 3 separate strips of polyester.
100% Polyester but of the high sheen type. Not easy to identify. Fibre filaments are densely and evenly packed. 100% Polyester Tricot. Polyester of average sheen type. Not easy to identify. Fibre filaments are loosely and imprecisely packed. Filaments break easily to form 'Fuzz'
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Why don't manufacturers still make the old designs...

Occasionally they do. But not using the same components and fabric as the pre 1990 items. Triacetate for example is no longer produced I believe. Because of worker health concerns. Nasty chemicals in the processing etc. Certain parts of the style usually get altered along the way as well. Collar and cuffs made from the same body fabric for example.

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What is Old-School...

Of the old school. An idiom meaning the former and better tradition. The original first generation Tracksuits in other words.

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Revised: March 1, 2001.