Keely Hodgkinson’s cut-out BBC Sports Personality of the Year dress was completely award-worthy

Congratulations are in order once again this year for Great Britain’s Olympian Keely Hodgkinson, who was awarded the BBC’s Sports Personality of the Year award 2024 on Tuesday.

The 22-year-old middle-distance runner won this year’s prestigious award after bringing home a gold medal during the 800m race at the Paris Olympic Games in August.

She pipped darts player Luke Littler and England cricketer Joe Root to the post, becoming the fourth female in a row to win after Emma Raducanu in 2021, Beth Mead in 2022 and Mary Earps last year.

But it wasn’t just her sporting ability that deserved recognition last night – her custom-made dress for the evening was nothing short of iconic.

She stunned in a backless form-fitting dress featuring gaping cutouts and subtle embroidery across the body. A pair of arm-length sheer black gloves completed her look, bringing an ensemble that was equally as elegant as it was daring. 

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Whilst her dress looked like any fashion-forward cut-out dress from a distance, the ensemble was actually a custom collaboration between south London-born brand KNWLS and sports sartorial heavyweight Nike – Keely’s gloves featured Nike’s signature swooshes across the arms. 

The design represented the continued crossover between the fashion and sports worlds. Speaking to Elle about her outfit for the evening, Keely described it as: “unique, one of a kind, special, and a bit edgy.” She also said: “It’s a really exciting collaboration that I have loved seeing coming to life.”

“Over the past few years, athleisure and sporting style ensembles have skyrocketed into popularity, says H! Fashion’s Orion Scott, ” So much so that fashion brands such as Jacquemus and Comme Des Garçons have collaborated with Nike on the regular while Adidas has made headlines by partnering with Balenciaga, Farm Rio, and Gigi Hadid’s brand Guest In Residence, to curate their own stylish capsule of must-have items.”