In October 2024, I started supporting Tottenham Hotspur Football Club. There was one problem with my newfound allegiance: I love wearing red, which, in football terms, means Arsenal—not just a rival club, but the anti-Christ. As well as avoiding it on match days (after wearing burgundy silk ballet flats to my first match at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium—the shame!), I realised all my recent acquisitions have been navy. An Issey Miyake Pleats Please blouse. A crossover puffer from Studio Nicholson. A cropped wool cardigan from Navygrey. All Tottenham Hotspur-blue. As well as taking over my podcast library with whimsically named shows such as The Fighting Cock, Spurs has also infiltrated my wardrobe.
Although accidental, this happily aligns with a movement that centres one’s extra-curricular activities, with subscribers quite literally wearing their hobbies on their sleeves. At Celine’s spring/summer 2026 show, several models were styled with a logoed bike helmet, replacing where a handbag would usually sit on their arms and giving the impression they’d only just parked their ride. Chicer than wearing padded cycling shorts—these outfits comprised knitted cardigans, knee-length skirts and mid-calf socks as opposed to hi-vis Lycra—they were nevertheless revealing; a hint of one’s inner world being telegraphed to passersby. Could hobbies be the new accessory, not just small-talk fodder that proves you do more than watch TV, but a route to achieving cultural kudos?
Pinterest says yes, with bookworms just one category of hobbyists who are feeling seen. “Poetcore” is part of Pinterest Predicts 2026, the platform’s report on the about-to-explode aesthetics, with literary flourishes inflecting the outfits of followers, whether or not they’re published. Searches have increased for terms such as “tie accessories” (+85%) and “satchel bags aesthetic” (also +85%), whilst pressed, turn-up jeans à la Fran Leibowitz, turtlenecks and vintage tweed blazers offer a blueprint for the look.
Louise Carmen’s leather-bound journals, which you can personalise (from cover to paper type to cord), have also become fashion statements, and videos of consultations with customers receive comments such as, “So unbelievably chic” and “Sublime omg [sic]” on Instagram. It’s once you’ve found your interest—whether slam poetry, ceramics or cold-water swimming—that you might then realise it’s got its hooks into your style, changing the way you dress to reflect its presence on your list of priorities.
When Grace Cook, writer and author of Salty, a newsletter focused on sport, culture and style, first started running, she simply wore old gym clothes. It was only when she joined a running club, with a 10k becoming a social fixture of her Saturdays, that she started investing in clothes to aid her performance. “It was a slow shift that has evolved into a full-blown wardrobe and style overhaul,” she tells me. “Running has changed what shapes and fabrics I like to have on my body. It’s also made me a better shopper; I find it hard to justify spending money on fashion items that lack pockets or are not comfortable.”
You’ll now find her in gear that’s fit-for-purpose as she cycles between working, running, the gym and Pilates, mostly from brands off the beaten track. Sweaty Betty Power shorts get layered under tailored tracksuit pants from Literary Sport. “It makes it easy to get changed at class,” says Cook. “My Pruzan cropped, long-sleeve top is a go-to.” She owns two and finds they work for day, night and sport. Her District Vision windbreaker, meanwhile, is an “every single day” item. “It’s cropped, oversized and a bomber silhouette, but it’s made from a windproof, water-resistant, Italian fabric. So many ‘fashion’ windbreakers have zero performance qualities. It’s not good enough!”
In today’s world, a truly unique sense of style is hard to come by. Instagram’s outfit saturation means that every style flex has been done (and documented), whilst the ease of online shopping, not to mention next-day delivery, means you can change your look overnight. A hobby, however, gives your wardrobe a new dimension, and not just out of necessity.
New York-based creative Michelle Li, who writes the newsletter Good Fantasy, spends every birthday hiking with her parents either in Sequoia, California, or Sierra Nevada, Spain, a hobby that shows up in her day-to-day wardrobe via brands such as Salomon, ACG, Merrell, Arc’teryx and Mountain Hardwear. “I like finding multiple uses for my closet,” says Li, adding, “I’m a really functional dresser. I walk and bike everywhere and need clothing that supports that.” Her Instagram followers will be familiar with her multi-hyphenate outfits, where she might blend an orchid-pink windbreaker with khaki crossover shorts, Prada’s slingback kitten heels being the final touch. “I like using hiking clothing to add a different texture and toughness to my more ‘feminine’ looks,” explains Li.
(Image credit: Maison Margiela F/W 26, Getty Images, Ralph Lauren F/W 26)
The starting point is finding a hobby that’s not a phase, but something that brings you joy. Supporting Tottenham Hotspur sometimes feels like the opposite. A Swedish politician, Mikael Damberg, recently went viral for using Spurs, currently battling relegation, another injury crisis and a mutinous fan base, as a case study for how not to run an organisation, be it a football club or a country. We might be a laughing stock, at home and, apparently, in Sweden. But I’ll still continue to build my wardrobe of blue in solidarity. Maybe Spurs are Spursy, but it’s too late, it’s now one of my favourite colours to wear.
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