The hybrid athleisure trend, which equips consumers from gym to desk, is here to stay. Drapers examines the latest men's and women’s brands to know.
Fitness shot to the top of consumer mindsets during the pandemic, and has remained a priority.
Consecutive lockdowns that closed gyms and sports centres forced fitness fanatics and newcomers taking their hour of daily outdoor activity working out wherever they could put their trainers down – from living rooms to parks and pavements.
Brands listened to consumer demand and pivoted for this new lifestyle: consumers wore leggings on their morning runs or walks, as well as for working from home in comfort.
Brands from across the fashion spectrum tapped into the appetite for athleisure, including Boohoo Group’s reboot of debenhams.com, which launched a womenswear fitness collection in January. Women's occasionwear brand Reformation launched a fitness collection in August 2021, while workwear specialist Reiss launched a Luxe Leisure range in 2020, featuring loose-fit joggers, leggings and hoodies.
There has also been a plethora of athleisure-only brands entering the market, including men’s and women's wear brand Universal Performance, and which launched in January, and Cell Workout, which launched in February.
With a global value of $424.4bn (£317.7bn) in 2022 (GlobalData), fitness and athleisure are clearly trends for brands and retailers to tap into.
Tamara Sender, senior consumer analyst at Mintel agrees: “Sportswear has been the success story for the fashion sector. In 2019, the average number [of consumers] buying sportswear over any three-month period was 15%. However, in June 2020, this had risen to 25%, and in April 2021 had hit a record high of 30%.”
Although the return to work and socialising has led sportswear consumption to drop to 22% in October 2021, as consumers revert to spending on occasionwear and workwear, Sender says: “The trend for sporty and comfortable items will continue as people adopt more hybrid working patterns.”
The spotlight might have eased off wellness as consumers return to busy, daily lives, but the athleisure and fitness market continues to expand. The global market will grow at 7.2% each year between 2020 and 2025, says Louise Déglise-Favre, associate analyst of apparel at GlobalData. The UK market is estimated to grow by 4.2% in 2022,to £13.5bn.
The pandemic brought sustainability into sharp focus. Consumers are now more wary of over-production and demand traceability of their purchases. Fitnesswear – dependent as it is on its stretch qualities – has particularly come under scrutiny. Brands such as the UK's Tala and Pocket Sport, and US-based Girlfriend Collective have used sustainably sourced materials from their inception.
Popular alternatives to virgin raw materials include recycled polyester and Econyl – a yarn made from recycled ocean and landfill waste (Read more: Solving the polyester problem).
All fitness brands must aim to produce their products as sustainably as possible, and communicating this in a genuine way.
Athleisure is now integrated into shoppers' consciousness, and retailers, independents and brands must consider the fitness dimension in their offer. Drapers brings you the brands to know.
Women’s fitness brand Off Dutee aims to cater to all customers' loungewear and fitness needs. The label was launched in 2014 by Keeley Porteous and Sarah Phillips, who have a background in the editorial side of the fashion industry, having met while interning at US Vogue.
The pair moved back to the UK in 2014 to work on the brand full time. Stockists include Aparelle – the new athleisure digital marketplace that launched in the UK in mid-March – and independent retailers in LA, although the brand’s headquarters are in Leicestershire.
Stand-out products include candy-coloured sweatshirts in pale blue, pink, neutral cream and grey. A collaboration with Women’s Aid launched at the end of 2021, and aims to raise £20,000 for the charity by the end of 2022. The collection includes a lilac sports bra, leggings, grey cycling shorts and a sweater. All profits from the sale of the collection are donated to the charity.
Materials used in the collection have four-way stretch, and include GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard) cotton, recycled polyester and organic jersey.
In March, Off Dutee launched a digital wellness platform called Booth, which is not designed to make money, but instead gives shoppers an insight to the brand and the women it works with, including photographers and models. It offers customers lifestyle advice and it will expand into interactive styling advice and workouts.
Wholesale prices start at £14 for sports bras to £17.50 for leggings.
Men’s athleisure brand Reprimo was launched at the end of 2021. It has an urban aesthetic: its signatures are khaki and slate grey logo hoodies and T-shirts emblazoned with the brand’s logo. Utility-style joggers are made using the brand's patented Reprimaflex stretch fabric, which is made from a woven-stretch fabric with polyelastane, and allows for comfort.
The brand also has a keen focus on outerwear. Quilted puffer jackets and parkas are filled with the brand's patented Reprimaheat synthetic down made from polyester fibres, for warmth. Pre-autumn/winter 22 will focus on woven and jersey products, including reflective branding on T-shirts and a new hoodie in bright blue, black and white.
Wholesale prices start from £12 for T-shirts to £59.50 for quilted outerwear. Stockists include menswear independents Culture Store in Cardiff, Chevron in Wrexham, North Wales and Masdings in Newark-on-Trent.
Men’s and women's wear brand Tropic Feel is known for its all-terrain, lightweight sneakers, which are designed for exploring. Each of the brand’s five footwear styles includes fast-drying technology that makes them water friendly, contain a minimum of 20% recycled EVA (ethylene-vinyl acetate) and between seven and eight recycled plastic bottles in each style.
The brand was launched in 2017 in Spain by founder Alberto Espinos. It has since expanded to include technical backpacks, designed to be versatile and lightweight. Tropic Feel produces its products through sustainable methods, including using polyester made from recycled plastic bottles (rPet), which has led Tropic Feel to reduce its carbon emissions by 14%, compared with virgin polyester. All nylon used by the brand is recycled, which lessens the use of virgin petroleum, helps eliminate discarded material, reduces greenhouse gas emissions from manufacturing and promotes new recycling streams for nylon products that are no longer functional. It also uses recycled EVA for packaging, accessories and footwear outsoles.
It tries to avoid over-production by crowdfunding its products, which allows the consumer to purchase the item for a lower price and helps the brand to produce only what it needs.
It sells direct to consumer on its website and is seeking wholesale stockists.
Wholesale prices range from €11 (£9.10) for flipflops to €165.43 (£136.60) for a backpack.
Manchester-based brand Contur (main image above) specialises in women’s fitnesswear such as crop tops, leggings, shorts and vests in bold shades of cherry red and cobalt blue, as well as ice cream pastel colours.
Crop tops come with technical features such as four-way stretch fabrics, sweat-wicking abilities and breathable mesh linings, as well as a selection of strap options, including racerback, cut-out and supportive underbands. Leggings and cycling shorts are designed to retain their shape, are breathable and have two-way stretch and include fast drying qualities - shorts are designed with high waistband for a flattering fit.
Contur uses Econyl – a regenerated nylon yarn made from industrial waste such as fishing nets – for all its products. The fibres are blended in Italy and manufactured at the brand’s studio in London. In March, Contur launched its first bodysuit, made from a GRS (Global Recycled Standard) double-knitted scuba fabric, and Q-Nova yarn, which is made from recycled raw materials.
Stockists include John Lewis and Surfdome. Wholesale prices range from £14.99 for crop tops to £34 for leggings.
Sports bra brand Maaree was launched in 2019 by Mari Thomas, whose background was in testing branded sportswear under laboratory conditions, for Danish technology company TomTom, Thomas also specialised in testing sports bras as a research assistant at Loughborough University. Thomas found that most existing products only focused on limiting downward motion, and so designed the first sports bra with "Overbrand" technology – a curved panel that runs over the top of the breasts to reduce upward motion when active.
Sports bras are available for both medium- and high-impact levels, and are made using Econyl recycled yarn. Maaree has also diversified to offering a thermal polyamide hoodie, modal fabric T-shirts (made from beech trees as an alternative to cotton, as they require less water to grow) and sculpting leggings made using Econyl.
Supply chain issues during the pandemic meant that the brand was without stock for seven months. However, once stock was available, the brand experienced 12 months of sales in one week. Maaree sells direct to consumer and is exploring wholesale opportunities for its 2023 collection.
Retail prices range from £49 for a medium impact sports bra to £79 for a hoodie.
US-based men’s fitness brand Rhone provides kit for a range of activities – from sweat-wicking T-shirts for working our, to polo shirts for golfing, and colourful printed board shorts for swimming.
To cover the gym-to-work customer journey, Rhone offers crease-free commuter shirts and trousers for consumers who are used to hybrid working. There is a wide range of colour options for both the fitness and commuter ranges – from block blue shirts to neutral greys, and the brand’s patented GoldFusion technology – a fabric treatment that contains gold particles to improve colour fastness, decrease drying time and increase odour control – is incorporated into hoodies and T-shirts.
Wholesale prices available on application. Stockists include nodstrom.com in the US and harrods.com in the UK. Retail prices range from £53.99 for a lightweight running vest, to £128.99 for the commuter trouser, with four-way stretch, patented Flexi-Knit technology and £564 for water durable outerwear.
UK-based accessories brand La Pochette offers customers functional and stylish specialised bags and cases to transport gym kit.
The Wet Bag allows wet and dry swimwear to be stored using a waterproof pouch, while the Sweat Bag is designed to be put in backpacks, handbags, gym bags and has antibacterial and deodorising properties. All bags are made using 100% recycled plastic bottles.
La Pochette also stocks antibacterial shoe carriers, resistance bands, skipping ropes and travel accessories. The premium brand was founded in 2019 by Justine Rouch, previously president of luxury fashion house Roland Mouret (2019-2021) and CFO at Adidas.
Stockists include Selfridges, The Conran Shop and Sweaty Betty. Wholesale prices available on request. Retail prices range from £35 for a clear travel pouch made using biodegradable TPU (thermoplastic polyurethane) to £90 for a waterproof sweat bag made from recycled PET (plastic bottles).
Tags athleisure menswear sportswear womenswear
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