Sportswear for Intellectuals (EXCLUSIVE)
Literary Sport isn’t trying to reinvent high-tech running clothing. It’s simply trying to reconsider the classics. Jackie McKeow, the brand’s co-creative director, thumbs through neatly cropped nylon windbreakers and elegant singlets cut like loose T-shirts, save for the uniform rows of tiny ventilation holes. These clothes are meant to weave in and out of sport, to make the wearer “rethink how they approach their outfits.”
McKeow explains her thinking from Literary Sport’s Spring/Summer 2026 New York showroom. An angular black wooden chair from local furniture-maker Lichen is tucked under a long plywood table piled with coffee-table books dedicated to architect Frank Lloyd Wright and minimalist painter Agnes Martin. Nearby, a dark wood desk with neat stacks of pencils and papers sits under the window.
The scene looks set for a Kinfolk shoot, rather than a presentation of advanced running attire. Where are the treadmills, the videos of Literary Sport-clad runners tearing up miles, the exhaustive explainers of the high-tech fabrics’ sweat-wicking technology? This warm, wood-paneled staging says as much about Literary Sport as the clothes — the brand’s highbrow approach to exercise gear made tangible.
Literary Sport lives up to its name.
The self-described “refined running-wear” label is not made distinct by the thermoregulating properties of its breathable tops but by the draped cuts and polished palette. Splashy neons and nonspecific shapes are for ordinary activewear imprints. “It's not typical for activewear to be as tailored,” says McKeow. “We want to nail the fit so that things don't just feel like another kind of merch brand.”
Literary Sport debuted only a year ago with its vision fully formed. In September 2024, McKeow and co-creative director, Fran Miller, introduced their vision for the label founded by runners and readers M. Bechara and Deirdre Matthews with streamlined sport apparel in muted hues, utilizing fabrics from small mills in Italy and Japan. Photographed on models lounging in mid-century modern armchairs or posing in clunky leather dress shoes, Literary Sport’s collections reframe sweaty staples as urbane everyday clothing.
Rarely, if ever, is this level of refinement seen in sportswear. In a product category defined by innovation, it's rare to see clothing that doesn’t make a point of its flashy technology.
Spring/Summer 2026 further epitomizes Literary Sport’s aim to create “purposeful garments that complement the self-defined pursuit of sport.”
Take the Fanny Cardigan, an item that comes close to encapsulating what Literary Sport is about. This boxy neutral-toned wool button-up could pass as crisp office attire despite being a running-friendly top woven with COOLMAX fibers that amplify wool’s innate breathability and moisture-wicking properties.
Literary Sport’s lightweight trackpants are a fan-favorite, according to McKeow. You can see why: The roomy straight-leg fit and dry matte fabric conceal the design’s functional purpose to appear more like relaxed-fitting slacks. They’re “made for performance,” she says. But she recommends pairing them with a cardigan and a heel: “It’ll look cute.”
That is, really, the ultimate proof of concept for Literary Sport, when its high-performance sportswear is so refined that it doesn’t look out of place as part of a dressy ensemble. “We constantly see [customers] sharing their outfits, and it's not them running,” says McKeow. “It's just them day to day.”
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