The 5 Trends to Watch in Athleisure, Per Report
With Gen Z all in on fitness and wellness, sustainability and functionality are key
What’s next for athleisure? If you answered denim, you’re on the right track.
The global athleisure market size — projected to grow by $176.3 billion from 2024 to 2028 — is being driven by online shopping, per Technavio. That may not come as a surprise, but other key insights from Technavio’s latest global athleisure market research report underscore how mainstream athleisure has become, what’s fueling demand and the leading players competing in the crowded athleisure wear space.
Here are some top takeaways from Technavio’s recent global athleisure report and a hint at what’s in store for the future.
Denim Dreams
Just as the pandemic led to an at-home fitness boom, it also drove demand for comfy athleisure wear, which has persisted ever since. However, the market is changing, and fabrics like denim have found a place in athleisure.
Technavio notes that denim makers are increasingly adding athletic elements into their designs, citing Levi Strauss and its research lab dedicated to exploring flexible denim methods.
It’s a route other brands are taking, like Barbell and its athletic performance denim, leading Technavio to predict that denim athleisure is a growing category with legs. Barbell depicts its denim models actively engaged in yoga, weight lifting and even indoor rock climbing in its engineered-for-comfort jeans.
Sustainability
Consumers are interested in smart fabrics that can keep them comfortable and cool, but the “sustainability generation” (Gen Z) is especially drawn to planet-friendly apparel that is ethically produced. It’s a value that is shared by many brands, like Girlfriend Collective, which creates its activewear from recycled materials, like old plastic water bottles.
While Patagonia is perhaps the most well-known for its sustainability practices, other smaller, up-and-coming brands are also making a name for themselves to appeal to eco-conscious consumers.
Tenere, a conscious luxury activewear brand that launched in 2021, provides its customers with a QR code, revealing a product’s material sourcing and its journey through the supply chain.
Functionality
Consumers want to be on-trend, but being able to integrate functionality into fabrics is the future.
With the rising interest in strength training, rucking and other outdoor fitness activities, brands like Omorpho have emerged with gravity sportswear. The Oregon-based startup makes micro-weighted training gear such as vests, shorts, leggings and shirts and closed a $3 million funding round last fall.
Another functional activewear brand, Tighties, has broken ground with apparel designed to enhance performance and address pain relief, muscle strengthening and active recovery. Launched in 2022, the San Diego-based brand uses the BOA Fit System (known best for its snowboard boots technology) for an adjustable, precise fit.
“It doesn’t matter if you are an elite performer or an everyday athlete, Tighties works to help you reach your goals,” Tighties founder and CEO Krystal Gillis told Athletech News. “Based on what you are looking for, we can help add resistance to make your activity more fruitful, or we can help support and subtract from your body ailments. The goal is simple: less pain and more gain.”
Three of Tighties’ initial products are resistance leggings, compression leggings and stabilizer leggings with built-in support, but other activewear offerings are in the pipeline.
“Tighties is a seed that is just starting to bud,” Gillis said. “Part of what I love about this process and our company is all the opportunity that stands before us. I can’t name any specific partnerships at this point, but I can speak to the continuation of our products. Tighties is a whole-body company, and while we are starting in lower body compression, followers should get excited for what’s in store and right around the corner in upper body.”
Fitness & Fashion Meet
Wellness and luxury fashion are also merging, according to Technavio, with brands like Lululemon, Sweaty Betty and Perfect Moment leading the charge.
And what better time than now, with Gen Z and Millennials invested in health and wellness?
Lululemon, the athleisure OG, partnered with Peloton last year on a content licensing arrangement that gives Lululemon Studio members Peloton content on the Mirror. Peloton co-interim CEO Karen Boone recently referenced the deal on the connected fitness company’s Q4 earnings call, stating that it has resulted in low churn and incremental subscription revenue with accretive gross margins for Peloton.
There is also a crossover with high-end lifestyle brands and athleisure. Life Time recently signed Lululemon as its official apparel partner for pickleball and tennis, with Lulu providing athletic apparel to the Life Time community. The brand is also collaborating on special events across Life Time clubs.
Meanwhile, Pvolve, the low-impact fitness franchise loved by Jennifer Aniston, has deepened its partnership with SoCal-inspired activewear brand Vuori for a nationwide tour and Pvolve-branded Vuori products.
And as celeb-loved Alo Yoga continues to drop new merch, it’s leaned into exclusivity, having launched two invite-only wellness clubs in New York City and Los Angeles for A-listers and influencers, adding to its panache.
Mass Appeal
As popular brands like GymShark begin to penetrate the U.S. market, major apparel companies like Athleta and Old Navy have already heavily invested in athleisure, both of which sell work-appropriate pieces that are suitable for the office as well as the gym at a cost-conscious price point.
Gone are the days when athleisure and activewear were limited to a couple of racks inside of a store — in recent years, retailers like Kohl’s have increased space for athleisure to meet demand or launched their own line. In 2022, Walmart debuted Love & Sports, while Target launched All in One in 2020, which generated an eye-watering $1 billion in its first year.
Check out ATN’s top activewear brands for Summer 2024 here.
