Adam Selman Sport (take a look at the acronym) brings leopard print, crystals, and bandeau tops to the gym—and it’s enough to make me want to actually workout. Or, more realistically, wear these pieces on a night out. Beyond the cheeky-glam aesthetic, the line is also beautifully inclusive, with sizes ranging from 00 to 20.
Selman was a runner-up at the 2016 CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund and started his own line in 2013. He’s a go-to designer for Rihanna, having designed her famous, Swarovski crystal-covered “naked dress,” and has also worked with celebrities like Britney Spears and Dua Lipa. His tongue-in-cheek sensibility and subtle take on camp and pop culture have stood out, and comedian Amy Sedaris is also a longtime fan (and close friend).
In spite of the attention, the designer told Business of Fashion that his business was stagnating in 2017. And, after slow sales for his Fall 2018 collection, he decided to pivot to athleisure.
“With A.S.S., Selman said he’s targeting what he sees as a gap in the athletic wear market between solid black basics and ‘lots of straps and funky’ pieces he saw women wearing at Barry’s Bootcamp and other boutique fitness classes,” BoF writes. And, true to the A.S.S. name, the leggings promise to provide a slight booty lift.
There’s an ‘80s female body-building feel to the collection, markedly with illustrator Ricardo Fumanal’s muscular blonde weightlifter on one sweatshirt. As Vogue puts it, “These are garments for pumping iron and pairing with pumps.”
It just finished being 15-freakin’-degrees here in New York City, and if there’s anything that keeps me hopeful that there will be a summer again, it’s the promise of wearing Selman’s leopard-print biker shorts.
Adam Selman Sport drops on Net-A-Porter this week and will be available for purchase at select retailers and his own site on Friday.