The Aesthetic: Evolution of the arm sleeve

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4.6 (769) In stock

If it wasn't for a case of bursitis in Allen Iverson's right elbow, the arm sleeve might not have ever been the fashion phenomenon that it became. In 2001, with Iverson dealing with elbow pain, Philadelphia 76ers trainer Lenny Currier decided to improvise and cut up a sleeve to lessen the pain Iverson was feeling in his shooting arm. In his arm sleeve debut, Iverson scored 51 points on Jan. 21, 2001, against the Toronto Raptors: Per Jay Caspian Kang of The New Yorker, after the debut of the arm sleeve, Under Armour (described in the story as a nascent sportswear company, which tells you how long ago that was) reached out to Currier and gave Iverson a customized nylon sleeve, proof that anything popular in sports and culture can and will be commercialized. The UA arm sleeve was stitched together by hand by an elderly lady, who, according to Currier, received an autographed jersey from Iverson because he loved it so much. In the years since, the arm sleeve has demonstrated very strong staying power, both fo