I recently attended the HermesFit exhibition. Described as ’…An invitation to be an everyday athlete with elegance and agility.’ The first thing you notice as you enter the space is the power of Hermes orange. Used boldly and with imagination it elevates the brand to a more contemporary place, clearly designed to talk to today’s uber trendy, health and wellness lifestyle community.
The second thing you notice is the full sized boxing ring. At the heart of the exhibition, it is the center stage for the creative performances and interactive program. Hermes is the epitome of luxury fashion. Heavily targeted at women, they have positioned boxing as relevant, acceptable and most importantly aspirational. The fact that they have put boxing at the heart of this elegant and innovative experience is an indication for how far the sport has come in the last few years.
And this is not an isolated occurrence, the random the whim of a luxury fashion brand looking to surprise. Women's boxing is on the rise. Within the boxing industry women's fight cards are drawing more hype and more attention, and in the wider world boxing is quickly filtering into the mass media.
Take the series 17th of The Apprentice in the UK. After a gripping all female finale, the 2023 winner of The Apprentice UK was Marnie Swindells. Her winning pitch convinced Lord Alan Sugar to invest £250,000 in her mass-market boxing gym concept. Her concept, driven partly by her strongly belief that women need to be able to protect themselves, offers women's only classes most days. She is determined that her classes are not simply a version of 'boxercise' because '... women need to know how to throw a punch, how to convert their weight into power to protect themselves'. Her concept in the east end of London, is positioned between the high-end boutiques and the testosterone laden spit and sawdust clubs. It is specifically designed to make boxing more appropriate and affordable to all women.
The fact that women’s boxing is finally on the rise validates years of hard graft by pioneers in the sport across the world. While the benefits of boxing have long been known for both sexes, cultural and social perceptions have made women’s participation in the sport challenging. While these biases remain, all signs point to things changing and an exciting new future for women’s boxing.
Join us in the fight, embracing the change and give boxing a go today. Visit BXHR’s gyms page in the Community section of our website to chose a gym near you.
댓글