Even if you’ve never heard of the athleisure trend, you’ve almost certainly seen it: we’re talking yoga leggings paired with knitwear and sneakers; lounge pants with heels, tanks and chunky jewellery; sweats and tees with blazers and fedoras. Also known as ‘sports luxe’, the athleisure trend is everywhere.
Combining fitness gear with casual clothing to create street-smart style, athleisure is continuing to blur lines and bring in the bucks.
The serious bucks, actually.
Market research firm NPD has released a study that shows sports leisure footwear is now more of a revenue source than performance footwear. What’s more, this same study shows that sport leisure fashion revenue has increased almost 20%, whereas performance wear revenue dropped 10%.
What’s the Athleisure Apparel Appeal?
For everyone who’s ever wished they could strut around in their comfiest sweatpants and still look stylistically relevant, the athleisure trend has been a dream come true. By allowing people to marry their comfortable gym and loungewear with other casual clothing in their wardrobe, sports luxe faciliates easy, eccumenical fashion for all. What’s more, athleisure allows us to get more wear out of our casual spread of clothes, creating totally new looks out of the same old, same old. Your yoga pants are no longer just for yoga: they can be confidently and stylishly worn for a day of downtown shopping or bar hoping.
In a world where remaining fashionable can sometimes feel out of our stylistic reach or financial means, the athleisure trend is a Godsend.
Tips on Rocking Athleisure Fashion
Buy Quality. Getting on board this trend is easy and cost-effective. Remember: each item you buy can do double-duty as gym gear and casual wear, so you can always justify buying the best quality sports clothing since you will be wearing it more than single-purpose garb.
Foundations, First. Build your athleisure style from a few basic pieces: think black yoga pants/leggings, basic tanks and tees, a killer pair of kicks and a more fitted pair of lounge or sweatpants. These foundational items can be paired with more adventurous accessories (e.g. layered necklaces, mixed metal bangles, purple suede ankle boots) until you get the hang of rocking the trend, and build up your wardrobe.
Chilled Out, NOT Bummed Out. While the whole athleisure trend is built on wearing gym and lounge gear, it is not built on looking like a slob. Athleisure clothing features clean, competent style, so your old bleach stained sweatpants and ratty PJ flyers won’t cut it. This is style that’s super comfy and casual, but also deliberate and mindful.
No Sweat, All Glory. Sure, you’re going to wear the same tanks and tees and pants to the gym and on the streets, but your street style should never smack of post-workout sweat. Your athleisure style should look — and be — fresh, so pit-stains and sweaty strands of hair need to be left at the gym.
The athleisure trend is not going anywhere anytime soon, so even if you’re just starting to think about slipping into this undeniably chill and attractive style, it’s not too late. Use these
Leave a Reply