Emergence of Athleisure Brands in the UAE and Sustainability-based Business Modelling

What is Athleisure Fashion?

Somebody wanting to look sporty without wearing a strictly-sports outfit could go for athleisure wear. As is apparent from its name, athleisure (fashion) is about looking casually or leisurely fashionable with a touch of athleticism. It is more of a sense of fashion than being or not active in any sport or athletics. If someone chooses to go to a party in a full scuba diving suit with gears on, that may not be considered athleisure fashion. But the scuba suit alone on a pair of sports shoes touches athleisure fashion.

On social media platforms and media appearances, many popular figures associated with fashion, modelling, movies, television, and the glamour world are often seen donning off-duty athleisure wear. If compared with other fashion trends, athleisure fashion is yet to gain mass popularity. The reason for this is that athleisure fashion still houses itself in the realms of luxury fashion.

We found this Vogue post as a good read on athleisure fashion.

Rise of Athleisure Fashion Trends and Brands in the UAE

As an experienced retail consulting enterprise with a growing presence in the Middle East, we believe that many factors make the UAE a perfect market for athleisure fashion brands and businesses.

The country has one of the best capita incomes in the world. The UAE’s GDP per capita income, grossing over USD 40,000, is the second-best in the GCC region after Qatar. High disposable income levels are a dominant feature of luxury market segments. And since the expertise in athleisure fashion is still confined to a limited number of brands, the offerings are often found in the premium price points targeted at market segments with a desire and appetite for luxury products.

Geo-strategically, the UAE is the meeting point of the East and West. It is already home to almost every big fashion brand. The business-friendly environment in the country makes it more appealing for domestic and international brands to enter the market.

Coming to consumer behaviour, high disposable income levels need not alone ensure the success of a luxury fashion brand. Customers in the UAE are also known for their aesthetic sense of fashion. The high levels of urbanisation in the UAE and its uber-cosmopolitan nature create a void as well as a necessity to evaluate and embrace the finest solutions and keep moving on.

The Giving Moment (TGM)…..a Brand with a purpose

The Giving Moment is a fashion brand driven by the mission of giving and creating sustainability. The brand works for the cause of charity by donating a certain portion of the revenue generated from every sale. TGM has partnered with Harmony House and Dubai Cares.

TGM was launched in April 2020 under the vision of Dominic Nowell-Barnes. TGM emerged as a vehicle of change in the background of the impact of climate change and other offbeat practices prevailing in the fashion industry at the global level. The brand seeks to ameliorate conscious consumerism in the consumption of fashion needs.

Three important core values of TGM include sustainability, being impact-driven, and innovation. The brand commits to creating environmentally-friendly products, reducing its carbon footprint, and protecting the planet.

TGM maintains that despite the availability of sustainable fabrics and yarns, these are priced way above traditional fabrics. In this direction, TGM envisions that normalising the use of eco-friendly textiles will make these raw materials more accessible and budget-friendly. Sticking to its vision and commitments, the brand uses organic cotton, recycled polyester, and recycled nylon shell. When it comes to packaging, orders are packaged and delivered in PLA-compostable bioplastic derived from natural starches and plant sugars.

On different occasions, textile factories around the world often make it to the news for unattractive reasons. TGM commits to remaining an ethically-vibrant organisation not just in its offices but also to ensure adherence to sustainable and ethical standards throughout the supply chain especially pertaining to wages and working conditions.

Based in the UAE, TGM is also committed to contributing to the local and regional economy by localised sourcing from supply to production.

A Quick Analysis of TGM

Speaking strictly from a business perspective, TGM sends a powerful brand message. Their premium quality products are on one side and on the other are the causes they are committed to. The overall message strongly resonates with the concerns and priorities of the emerging world cutting across generations.

As an eCommerce brand for retail fashion, they seem to be doing everything right. They have a decent website with easy navigation to different segments. The website hosts standard features like account management, wishlist, shopping cart, currency change, etc. There is a page dedicated to TGM’s sustainability commitments.

The example set by TGM is yet another but a still rare instance of the coming together of business with a cause. In the case of TGM, this cause is supporting charity and creating a sustainable planet through innovation and conscious consumerism in the fashion industry.

We have stepped into times when we must seek to meddle less with our environment. There are long-pending concerns revolving around running businesses and economies, and unprecedentedly rising consumerism that we must begin addressing now. The conflict of interest is more evident than ever. We need to do more about taking economies and sustainability together. And how business models are designed will have a big role to play here. The more success the sustainability-based business models achieve, the greater the chances of having their improvised versions in the future.

About YRC

We are a retail and eCommerce consulting brand with over 10 years of experience in delivering business solutions to more than 500 clients from 20+ verticals. The service design and delivery are carried out by a team of experienced retail and eCommerce consultants.

When it comes to starting an athleisure fashion brand, we offer assistance in the areas of business model development, business planning, functional strategies, SOP development, IT-system integration, and more. Retail consultants of YRC believe in working in close coordination with businesses for developing precise solutions.

For any service-related queries or to have a quick dialogue with one of our retail and eCommerce consultants, please drop us a message.