Athleisure wear: A trend movement in the fashion and sportswear industries

Combining functionality and sleek minimalist design, athleisure wear has played a major role in Running Wear’s resurgence on the fashion scene. This trend, supporting “transition” moments with leggings and other yoga pants which can be worn anytime, anywhere, went viral and finally reached premium and luxury brands. Now, indie brands, like Alo Yoga, Vuori Clothing, and Epoque Evolution are disrupting the distribution model and carving out a niche in this segment.Sports Wear: The street combination of fashion and a healthy lifestyleGymshark was not the only athleisure brand to boom, however: according to SimilarWeb, LA-based brand Alo Yoga was ranked the fastest-growing Activewear brand in the US by web traffic.

Athleisure refers to athletic apparel which people can wear in non-athletic settings. It was seen, for a long time, as “casual clothing designed to be worn both for exercising and for general use” as defined by the Merriam-Webster dictionary.

It symbolizes a decompartmentalization of sportswear, which, thanks to its elevated design, becomes an everyday outfit able to instantly enhance a look.

Fashion is giving Fitness Wear an uplift in credibility while sportswear is giving functionality to fashion, like sweating-wicking capabilities, odor resistance or stretch texturing.

1. Athletic-casual Cycling Wear has become increasingly acceptable for use in a wide variety of social situations. Many of the clothes that people now consider work-appropriate, incorporate sports-inspired materials like spandex, Lycra, and other synthetic fibers.

2.  warmer trends everywhere but outside the gym. As a result, Cycling Wear brands started making clothes for athletic performance. The quality significantly improved with synthetic fiber clothing to boost athletes’ performances and allow greater freedom of movement.

3. Indie activewear brands: Authenticity and inclusivity at their core

   While traditional athletic brands used to tap into the product performance-only seeker, new entrants have filled the gap left by the Swimwear industry with client-centric designs, merchandising reworking and expanded offerings. These Digitally Native Vertical Brands (DNVBs) do little to no advertising and do not rely on celebrity endorsement, helping them build their brands in a more authentic way.

   By embracing real women’s bodies, these brands have secured their place in clients’ hearts as a brand they can relate to. Their ability to market themselves as a lifestyle brand and to have found a niche that consumers can connect to has helped them thrive in a competitive market.