Exploring Intersections with Athleisure
Introducing "Athleisure" - Athletic apparel that people can wear in non-athletic setting. From sweating it out at the gym or having a boardroom negotiation, these are designed for the fast-paced lives today where everyone wants to be more put together with minimal effort. The core functionalities of these clothes are that they are extremely durable, sweat-proof and odor/winkle resistant.
Female athleisure wear is a particularly lucrative sector, particularly in North America. The apparel line is made with the intention to keep up with the modern woman, who juggles multiple responsibilities whether it’s going straight from Pilates or Yoga to a brunch or just powering through an action-packed, appointment-filled day.
Athleisure is more than the sum of the parts; sports, urban, and fashion trends. It has become more than a trend because it is a complete lifestyle that people identify with. Part of it is certainly connected to the rise of fitness-conscious consumers who look at athletics not only as a hobby but also as an all-around lifestyle. Another part of it is simply the desire for clothing to be comfortable, even when it's supposed to be functional, like formal wear for professional situations.
Athleisure isn’t just about looking good while working out, it’s also about feeling good. It also creates a positive feedback loop for the people associated with the movement. The ‘feel good’ factor associated with belonging in a community of healthy living and fitness conscious people makes them want to stay and embrace it even more. The growing fitness trend can be witnessed on social media. The Telegraph shares that “an Instagram-led cult around healthy living and clean eating”, has spurred 128,384 ‘athleisure’ posts of so-called ‘yoga bunnies’ posing in lycra, clutching green juices.”
Athileisure isn’t just for the masses, it’s been worn by Michelle Obama. Beyoncé and Rihanna, Kendall Jenner are considered the key influencers to bring athleisure into the mainstream. Rapper Kanye West sold out his athleisure brand with high-end price tags. It also inspired celebrities to launch their own lines: Kate Hudson’s Fabletics to Venus Williams’ ELeVen, Khloé Kardashian’s Good American and Beyoncé’s Ivy Park, and even claims its very own entry in the Merriam-Webster dictionary.
A simple summation sums up a trend that is taking over the fashion industry: Athletic + Leisure defines the magic formula that brands such as Lululemon, Nike, Adidas, Under Armour and even Victoria’s secret is embracing. Thanks to major shifts in consumer lifestyles and increasing consumption of social media, there has been a soaring market for the active-wear. The relationship is a perfect one, fashion bringing sports an air of attractiveness and sports bringing fashion functionality.
One of the big players in the Athleisure market, Adidas has been keenly aware of the fashion importance in its launches. The brand also has added fashion buzz through well-known partnerships with celebrities and designers including Kanye West, Pharrell Williams and Stella McCartney while under Armour is still trying to catch up to the trend.
2019 is about to see a significant bull run in athletic and fashion industry. Athileisure is expected to grow by another 30% by 2020. According to Global Industry Analysts Inc., sports and fitness apparel clothing will reach $231.7 billion worldwide by 2024.
Enthusiasm is developing in brands both inside and outside of the traditional athletic space. For example, Luxury brands are merging the codes of sportswear and haute couture. LV, Gucci, Balenciaga, Valentino, Supreme, Coach are introducing street-wear and casual athletic collections. According to a recent study by consulting firm Bain & Company, luxury street-wear has helped boost global sales of luxury goods by 5 percent last year to an estimated EUR 263 billion. New capsule sportswear drops and collaborations have also been booming recently: from Alexander Wang x H&M to Louis Vuitton x Supreme and Stella McCartney x Adidas, Tommy Hilfiger x Vetements, and street-wear designer Gosha Rubchinskiy partnered with Burberry.
It’s not just apparel and shoes merging with comfort that is getting consumers' money. Cosmetics including long-lasting and waterproof makeup geared to make people look good before, during and after workout is driving beauty sales. A case in point, the beauty brand Tarte even has a line of “athleisure essentials.” With on-the-go and time-pressed consumers seeking a more active lifestyle and wanting to look good all the time, this hot trend may not be cooling any time soon.
In this age fueled by carefully curated images, millennials are searching for feeling glimpses of genuine authenticity, this attraction to sportswear is too significant to be turned into a mere tool for retail. It’s more of an identity and a way of empowerment by owning our comforts. Athleisure isn’t just the future of fashion. It’s the whole damn thing.
-Sonakshi Nathak