In the early days of 2013, THE UPSIDE made a fierce impression on all things athleisure with the launch of its leopard print (sported by none other than supermodel Candice Swanepoel if you don’t mind..). Dress it up or down, this primal print lends itself to all palettes, moods and occasions. More than mere motif, seasonal updates of this savage neutral have become a brand mainstay for its unique ability to represent THE UPSIDE’s own strong ‘n sexy femininity, high-fashion feel and love of all things wild and free. In the seven years since that fateful shoot, THE UPSIDE has never repeated a print… until now. Some classics just don’t quit, and so we have made the unprecedented decision to give women on the move exactly what they want – a return to our original leopard. A renaissance to the tune of punk rock, we thought we would mark this new(ish) territory with a little run down on the fashion icon…

From playing muse to Bob Dylan (Leopard-Skin Pill-box Hat) to adorning the likes of Kurt Cobain, Edie Sedgewick, Jackie Kennedy, Linda Evangelista, Michelle Obama and even Seshat the Egyptian Goddess of Wisdom – many a pop-cultural icon has channelled the killer cool of leopard. First seen in depictions of Dionysus (the Greek God of Wine….. no comment.), leopard’s cult status runs wild throughout history but it was Christian Dior’s ‘New Look’ collection in 1947 that really saw the pattern captivate the mainstream, giving it the ‘chic’ cache it still enjoys today. Often referred to as spots, the ‘rosette’ of the leopard skin is thought to help the predator hunt – serving as a kind of camouflage in the wild. Born to single mothers, leopards are powerful, independent and exquisite creatures that adapt to any environment – from sleeping in trees to swimming in water, it is the traits of the leopard to which we Upsiders are instinctively drawn..