Piece of Princess Diana’s activewear history sells for over $75,000 at auction

Princess Diana’s penchant for logo-heavy sweatshirts has become as synonymous with her style legacy as little black dresses and pastel power suits.

In the ‘90s, the late Princess of Wales’ trips to her local gym, the Chelsea Harbour Club, wearing colourful workout attire were emblematic of her post-marital life and the independent woman she had become.

Now, a piece of her athleisure history has gone under the hammer for an eye-watering sum at auction.

The navy-blue Virgin Atlantic sweatshirt was personally given to Diana by Virgin boss Richard Branson and was not available to purchase, making it a collector's item on that front alone.

This week it was sold by Boston-based online company RR Auction House for AU$75,826 (US$53,532)

The sweatshirt, put up for sale by the Princess’s long-time personal trainer Jenni Rivett, was initially expected to fetch around AU$7,000 at auction but went for over 10-times the amount when bidding closed on July 10.

Rivett received the sweatshirt as a gift from the People's Princess before her tragic death in August 1997.

She is now selling the garment to raise money for a Malawian family based in South Africa, according to Hello! magazine.

Featuring a graphic of the airline’s ‘Flying Lady’ logo with white cursive words featuring the words ‘Fly Atlantic’, the garment is a one-size-fits-all piece with a (nearly) priceless history.

The lucky buyer will also receive two notes of prominence -- a letter from Diana to Trivett and a note from Trivett to the buyer.

"This sweatshirt was given to HRH by Sir Richard Branson. It became her most worn top on her regular visits to the gym,” writes Trivett.

"She felt there were far more important issues to focus on in the world then her gym attire and therefore decided that wearing the famous Virgin sweatshirt to every session would be a good way to stop the media frenzy!"

"A few months before her untimely death she called me to say she had left a few sweatshirts for me. Amongst them, this one—which I have now decided to part with."

In recent years, the late mother of Prince William and Prince Harry has become something of an athleisure muse for designers and brands.

A fan of bike shorts before they seen on the tiny thighs of Gigi Hadid and Kim Kardashian, Diana’s playful and colourful activewear has inspired designers such as Off-White’s Virgil Abloh and former Calvin Klein creative, Raf Simons.