It hasn’t been a passing fad for quite some time now. In fact, it’s become one of the biggest and longest-lasting trends in fashion: athleisure, or as the word itself implies, a blend between athletic clothing and leisurewear. And that’s exactly what it is: gym clothing as fashion statements. Leggings, tank tops, sweaters and similar outfits have escaped the confines of the gym and are proudly worn as everyday outfits. Functional clothing without giving up any of the glamour.

Sport = fun. Health. Wellbeing

Sport has matured into a status symbol: being fit is, indeed, the new status quo.
Today, competitions featuring outstanding physical performances have fallen by the wayside of our everyday life. We’re more interested in overall fitness: biking across the Alps over the weekend, a Pilates class during lunch break, or a half-marathon in the city. Being sporty now epitomises our modern lifestyle. We’ve become active to vent off some steam, improve our health, or simply to shape our body.

Sporty Stars

International stars have contributed to the trend’s hype. Singer Beyoncé recently launched her very own fitness label, ‘Ivy Park’, promoted by a very successful and attention-grabbing campaign. Pop sensation Rihanna has been part of the Puma squad for the last two years, initially seen when launching their line of sneakers. Now she’s created her own collection, ‘Fenty’. Incidentally, you can also buy Rhi Rhi’s new album on iTunes when visiting the Puma website. Cross-marketing is also a highly successful strategy. Nike is working with Instagirl Kendall Jenner. Singer Rita Ora has been developing sneakers and styles for Adidas for the last two years. Actress Kate Hudson founded her ‘Fabletics’ sport brand already back in 2014, stylish active gear at competitive prices. As we’ve seen, even her concept is on the rise.

The triumphal march of active clothing

Stylish at the gym and sporty in the office. Long gone are the days when you could only wear trainers during fitness classes. Sneakers have gained a foothold in the higher levels of the corporate world and even making an appearance on the red carpets for quite some time now. Nowadays, walking about and not spotting a pair of sneakers worn even with regular attire is just impossible. Now, this sporty wave is washing over the textile industry, too. In two ways: clothes developed for sport are designed, styled, and worn like never before. Producers of active wear have never worked as hard as this to make functional clothing fashionable, too: at the gym, on an outdoor jog, for yoga, Pilates, biking, hiking, etc. Today’s functional wear can be worn everywhere. On the dancefloor, when shopping and, if you really wanted to, when actually working out. Most outdoor clothing has received a new lease of life and now radiates power and glamour.

Sport,Spirit, Fashion

Traditional fashion has also been swept off its feet by the sport mania. There’s hardly any collection left which doesn’t focus on elements of physical strengthening. It’s become a bold statement, from tennis courts to boxing arenas. Logos, broad stripes and racing stripes, on tops and jeans, colours, and loose knit V-necks: everything is sporty. Sweaters, jerseys, mesh insets are used just as much as cashmere and silk. Athleisure is open to all genders and generations, featured across luxury labels and at the bargain counter.

Inspiration can be found even off an English tennis court or hockey rink. One ultra-hyped and young successful label, ‘Vetements’, developed by a designer collective headed by Gemna Gvasalia uses other influences: hoodies and bomber jackets as street style basics with a ‘ghetto’ attitude. Loud and garish. Not necessarily elegant, but interesting, for sure.

Athleisure: ka-ching!

Athleisure would already be forgotten, lying in the bottom drawer of our wardrobe, if it weren’t for its enormously successful level of sales, a rare feat in fashion. Indeed, in today’s world of ‘fast fashion’, nobody can really accurately predict what will be sold or collect dust in store at the end of the day. Yet this active clothing seems to have won over clients who just keep on buying. Online retailer Zalando carried out a huge marketing campaign during the first six months of 2016 using the slogan ‘Fashion Meets Sport’. Carsten Hendrich, Vice President Brand Marketing Zalando, told specialist magazine Textilwirtschaft that, ‘We’re currently going through an important change in fashion, where sport is becoming an increasingly important element.’

This sport boom is long from over

Lisa Aiken, Retail Fashion Director at online luxury retailer Net-a-porter, told Textilwirtschaft that, ‘Athleisure is still climbing its way right to the top. More than a quarter of our turnover at Net-a-porter comes from the Fitness and Cross-training department, making it the strongest performer across the whole year, and definitely a trend that will continue to develop.’ Good news for everyone who loves to get stylish when sweating it out, or who think that all you need to be ‘active’ is to wear sporty, fashionable clothes. Fashion designers and brand strategists will be working hard to exploit this sport boom and redesign gym clothing into stylish and glamourous outfits. Which is why the outfits of German athletes in Rio are somewhat of an eyesore. Our neighbouring countries have kept up with these fashionable times: designer Stella Mc Cartney created the English outfits, Italians wear Armani, Americans opt for Ralph Lauren and the French win the style competition for their Lacoste gear. One of the most stunning pieces of competitive gear was designed by H&M for the Swedish team. Athleisure couldn’t get any more stylish than it already is.

Author: Inga Empt