Over the past year and a half, athletic wear has dominated the fashion industry. With the Covid19 Pandemic and the worldwide quarantine, everyone found themselves working from home and not wanting to wear restrictive clothing. With this notion, leggings, sweatpants, loungewear, and oversized pieces have become more popular than ever. According to Forbes Magazine, “True Fit’s Fashion Genome, which analyzes data from 17,000 brands and 180 million True Fit users, confirms that athleisure orders jumped 84% since the start of the pandemic.”
Even though this trend has skyrocketed recently, it’s been around for some time. In the 90s, white sneakers, baggy hoodies, and baseball hats were just as popular as they are now. Recently, many people took on at-home workouts during months of quarantine, which has also contributed to the athleisure trend. People today want sustainable, durable clothes from brands that have high rates of diversity and inclusion. People want to see models that look like them in all different shapes, sizes, and ethnicities, and this is how brands will gain clients with their athletic wear.
Luxury brands have even started acting on the athleisure trend. Burberry has recently released several hoodies, leggings, sports bras, and sweatpants, and Gucci has released a whole line of activewear, including pattern-heavy track pants, shirts, jackets, jersey dresses, and skirts. Gucci included embellished tennis shoes in its collection, as well as baseball caps and fanny packs for a full look.
I can see luxury brands continuing to hop on the trend, and I don’t think athleisure is going away anytime soon. In the most recent New York Fashion Week, oversized and athleisure looks were everywhere, further proving this point. According to Allied Market Research, the global activewear industry is expected to reach a value of $547 billion by 2024. Athleisure is here to stay! No other style combines comfort, functionality, and fashion in the same way as this amazing trend.