Juicy Couture Is Back! 10 Superfans On Why They Can’t Quit the Tracksuit

Thinking back on the Juicy Couture tracksuit craze is both nostalgic and comical: We really were splurging on a bonafide pajamas with crystals glued onto the derrières. At the time, it was like carrying an Hermès Birkin—only less expensive. You couldn’t pick up a tabloid without seeing one of the signature velour sets in candy colors on the biggest names of the day: Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan, Jennifer Lopez. But there was something authentic and charming about the trend. Stars seemed to wear them because they loved them, not because they were paid to. “Juicy was before the heyday of stylists,” says Nicky Hilton Rothschild, who, along with her sister Paris, was an early adopter of the tracksuit, and helped it reach an insane level of covetability. “Now, girls are styled in head-to-toe runway looks just to do errands. Girls wore what they wanted because they liked it, and it was comfortable.”

While remembering the bright-colored, bedazzled tracksuits may cause you to cringe, you may want to rethink that: the brand is poised for a serious comeback. This week, the tracksuiter to the stars announced that, in celebration of its 25th anniversary, it is relaunching its e-commerce website in November, and launching a slew of exciting new collaborations to go with it. Currently, Juicy is licensed through Authentic Brands Group, which also owns Hervé Leger and Forever 21. This fall and holiday season, Juicy is partnering with NYC Alliance on a new collection of tracksuits, T-shirts, and jumpsuits that will be available on JuicyCouture.com this fall. It’s also collaborating with Apparis on the first-ever faux fur tracksuit, releasing this holiday season. 

 

The brand’s splashy return certainly comes at the right moment. For starters, COVID-19 lockdowns and the new WFH lifestyle has caused many of us to rethink our wardrobes: We basically all live in loungewear now. A Juicy tracksuit couldn’t feel more timely. “Post-quarantine, everyone's wardrobe and waistbands have gotten a lot more relaxed,” says Hilton, who is still a fan of the Juicy look. “People aren't going into the office as much, but you want to look stylish, and there's something about a Juicy Couture tracksuit that you don't look like a slob. There’s something refined about it.” In the fashion world, there have been signs that the Juicy tracksuit is slowly creeping back into our closet, too. Remember when Vetements partnered with Juicy on runway tracksuits in 2016, and then Rihanna wore it a year later on the streets? More recently, Timothée Chalamet broke the Internet with his pink Juicy hoodie which he wore in an issue of GQ, and Kim Kardashian West even released her own velour tracksuit line for Skims, tapping Paris Hilton to star in the promo photos with her (an obvious nod to their early-aughts Juicy days). 

For stars like Kardashian West and Hilton, the love for Juicy has clearly never stopped. But they’re not the only ones. Below, Vogue also asked nine Juicy superfans to look back on the craze—including celebrities, stylists, and vintage experts—and share why they’re excited about its return.