In the past few years, fashion in the NHL has been rapidly growing, but for the Toronto Maple Leafs, it’s been here since 2015.
When William Nylander was drafted, nobody thought he would change the sense of fashion on the Toronto Maple Leafs, but he did.
It wasn’t just him though — fellow first-round draft picks Mitch Marner and Auston Matthews helped create the shift too.
Oh, and let’s not forget about Kasperi Kapanen.
Not everyone in the NHL is interested in style and some fans might not show the appreciation for it just yet. But a majority of the young fans are different — they’re into it, like Matthews and his teammates.
“I don’t mind at all wearing a suit. I actually kind of like it. I have a lot of suits in my closet. I get different ones every year.” says Matthews in an article from GQ. “But at the same time, I wouldn’t hate being able to wear street clothes and something different than a suit.”
It’s all comes from the NBA and the NFL, where players can wear basically whatever they want into the dressing room. And now, a lot of players in the NHL are now following “suit”.
From Matthews to P.K. Subban, fashion is an evolving trend that’s changing every year. You see players wear different suits, different shoes and even, no socks.
Yup, that’s where it’s going.
“I definitely think it’s evolved quite a bit.” Says Matthews in a GQ article (the same one). “The guys are younger and they like to wear different stuff, like stuff that stands out and not just black and white.”
It gives a sense of personality to the players, outside of the usual stuff you see from them. They get to show how they look or how they feel, just from dressing a certain way. Some people like it, some people hate it, and that’s just the way it goes.
Fashion is interesting; it always has been and always will be.
People all over the world dress very differently. When players dress a certain way, you also get to see the culture of where they come from.
Matthews said he got a taste for fashion while playing in Switzerland. Players like Nylander and Kapanen, who both reside in Europe, have a sense of style more of like people from Sweden and Finland.
I’ve always enjoyed players coming out of their comfort zone, showing off the nicest clothes and coolest shoes. They’ve worked hard for a long time and they deserve to show off just a little bit.
The older-style of people might not understand the appreciation for it, but the younger generations do.
And like I said before, it’s always evolving and always changing. There will probably be a time in the next five-to-ten years, where you won’t have to wear a suit to games anymore, and that’s okay.
You’re not going to like everything, so just try to have fun, just a bit.