In 1980, Norma Kamali was one of the first designers to propel casual sportswear into fashion. Her “Sweats” collection was featured on the front page of WWD in November 1980, earned her a Coty Award for design innovation in 1981 and since then, athleisure has become a mainstay in many Americans’ wardrobes.

Although the designer has peppered her urban sweats into collections over the last decade, Kamali said spring 2026 was the first time she’s “knocked off” her original one, including its little running panties, cute puff shorts and drop pants. Except here, the fabrication has been updated from sweat shirting to terry, shoulder pads were replaced by molding to shape sweatshirts, dresses and jackets, and a few new contemporary styles like bodysuits and flat-front men’s pants were added in.

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