First bumbags, then dad workout trainers, then baseball caps, now cycling shorts – it’s official: Mr Motivator is the style muse of the summer. The 90s fashion item once banished to the attic along with LA Gears and Baby-Gs – are back. And they are a bonafide trend.

Why, you ask? To quote Paris Hilton, nothing is quite as “hot” in the fashion industry right now as items that come with a heavy dose of irony (think Balenciaga’s £1,600 take on a 40p Ikea bag). The industry loves nothing more than to create hype around an item that elicits an “Are you joking?” response from Jane and John Doe, while getting the street-style snappers in a frenzy during fashion week.

Bulls bicycle shorts, £15, Topshop

Like so many trends, calculating the genesis is a case of cherchez la Kardashian. Kim has recently been wearing the Yeezy cycling shorts of her husband, Kanye West, everywhere from shopping to the Cannes film festival, and last week, the most popular item on Amazon Prime Day was apparently a near-identical pair by Futuro Fashion that sell for about £3. Her half-sisters, Kendall and Kylie Jenner, have been wearing them, too, as have numerous other fashion influencers – such as the model Bella Hadid, actor Emily Ratajkowski, singer Rita Ora and Instagram star Pernille Teisbaek.

On the catwalk, it all began last September at the spring/summer 2018 Off-White show, dedicated to a 1990s fashion icon; not Mr Motivator this time, but Princess Diana. The final look was inspired by a paparazzi photo of her going to the gym and saw Naomi Campbell stride out in a white pair, coordinated with a tailored blazer.

As well as the irony factor, it’s no coincidence that they have resonated during one of the most electrifying sports-centric summers in memory. So, too, have some of this season’s other biggest trends. Waistcoats enjoyed a surprise spike thanks to Gareth Southgate at the World Cup and the LWD (little white dress) enjoyed a renaissance riffing off Wimbledon, while cycling shorts nod to the Tour de France. La Grande Boucle is proving a fruitful event to plunder, in fact – cycling sunglasses, the polarised kind that wrap around your head – have also achieved cult status this year.

Right now, H&M has pairs for about £4; Topshop has eight different styles (priced £12-£30); while BooHoo has more than 100 options priced from £2-£22 (revenues at the online retailer climbed 97% last year, so clearly they are good at backing the right horse). Meanwhile, fashion insiders have been overheard discussing the optimum ways to cut off their leggings to form shorts.

Outlandish as this trend may seem when styled with a crop top, a la Kardashian, British Vogue reckons that worn with a billowing shirt, or just peeking out underneath a tailored jacket, cycling shorts may be the summer wardrobe addition you never knew you wanted – “a sleek alternative to the endless floral midi dresses”. Certainly, in this gym-to-brunch era – as Mr Motivator knew, all those years ago – they are useful for doing impromptu lunges.