Athleisure: A Trend (thankfully)
Have you noticed that EVERYONE seems to be wearing leggings these days EVERYWHERE?
It wasn't that long ago that I thought nothing of throwing on old baggy sweatpants with an ancient (but soft) sweatshirt for my morning walks/yard work/chores around the house, etc. It was my look since, maybe, junior high school.
These were the workout clothes that were meant for all the stuff that didn't require changing into "good" clothes--the clothes I wore to work, to get groceries, lunch with friends or travel by plane.
Then yoga pants, tights and leggings started to show up on the walking trails--combined with stretchy tops, memory foam walking shoes, coordinated all-weather jackets and UV protection hats.
And, then they "slipped the surly bonds"* of gyms and jogging paths to become the de rigueur for EVERYTHING--shopping, dining out, traveling, life at home, raising families, mowing the yard, cooking--EVERYTHING. Women of all shapes, sizes and ages were slipping into leggings in all colors, designs and styles.
I ignored it--until, one day I realized I was the ONLY walker on the trail looking so, well, frumpy and clearly out of style. (Or maybe just "vintage?")
Once I recognized that my concept of "workout clothes" and "nice clothes" was seriously dated and misconceived, I decided to embark first on my Walking Wardrobe--which I figured could spill over into the "Nice Clothes" category based on what I observed in public.
The sticker shock I experienced as I began pricing yoga pants, leggings, outerwear, cute-not-too-tight tops, etc., nearly derailed my intentions! I suddenly realized that one could spend a fortune on clothes that could be worn to the gym and, theoretically, everywhere else.
Since I was absolutely NOT going to spend $150 on high-waisted yoga pants that I wasn't even sure I would be brave enough to wear out of the house to go WALKING, I was delighted to stumble onto the Danskin brand of Activewear at Wal Mart.
The prices are very reasonable, the sizes fit me well and each item wears like iron! They're stylish and well made.
Plus, when I'm at Wal Mart getting a clay pot or light bulbs, it's oh-so-easy to swing my cart over to the women's athletic clothing section to see what's new or on sale before checking out.
In my ACTIVE WEAR clothing I blend. Odd, I know, but true.
...I was at Wal Mart a few weeks ago.
As I made my familiar route past the women's clothing section on my way out I suddenly stopped mid-step!
Where was the women's Activewear section???
Where there should be rounders of Danskin leggings, lightweight jackets and tops of all kinds there was Time and True.
All I saw in my horror was sheer fabrics, lots of ruffles and nothing that even resembled clothing that I have now come to consider comfortable casual clothing!!
Puzzled, I went online when I got home to see if I had somehow missed some kind of fashion meteor!
Wal Mart has replaced Danskin Now along with Faded Glory, White Stag and Just My Size with Time and True and Terry and Sky for plus sizes.
It appears...
...that consumers are shifting more of their budgets to experiences such as travel and eating out rather than clothing.
One report indicated that 40 years ago consumers spent 6.2% of their budgets on clothing. Today it's 3.1%.
Wal Mart is listed as being the most shopped apparel retailer followed by Amazon and Target. Amazon seems to be gobbling up market shares of Target, Macy's and J.C. Penney. Obviously this is making Wal Mart more than nervous and it has decided to put an emphasis on fashion in its clothing and home decor.
This brings me back to my opening definition of ACTIVEWEAR AND ATHLEISURE.
Clearly, I was not the first kid on the block to embrace the idea that changing one's clothes after working out is a thing of the past--but, even with relaxed dress codes, I still can't visually put together leggings, cute "bralet" with mesh paneling and kitten heels for me.
Even so, reports in USA Today and The Wall Street Journal describe the athleisure market as growing!
A report from Quartz indicates that "elastic knit pants" (aka "leggings") have surpassed jeans!!!
As a girl from Wyoming, where well-fitting jeans are so close to Heaven, this is astounding and earth shaking news!!!
Not only do the new fibers allow stretchability to conform to whatever body shape one has, the new fibers enable greater odor reduction, sweat-wicking, breathability to allow air in and out and protection from dirt.
Because women come in all shapes and sizes with over 100 million American women over size 14, there are new market opportunities for larger women who have active lifestyles.
For beyond size 12 check out Joy Lab at Target, NIKE, Forever 21, Nordstrom and H & M.
There's also a market opportunity for activewear sustainability.
Currently 60% of our apparel is made of synthetic fabrics and activewear uses more man-made fibers than any other category.
It needs to be durable but at the end of its life it goes to landfill.
However, H & M is launching activewear using recycled fibers.
What's trending?
As I was doing my research I came across some trends in activewear like...
...matched sets of leggings and crop top/sports bra in neutral tones.
...sports bras with a fashion element like an unusual shape or intricate straps.
...cropped hoodies or shrunken sweatshirts worn with leggings.
Wait? Shrunken sweatshirts?
Oddly, that's what a lot of my old sweatshirts resembled due to a few laundry mishaps...was I just ahead of my time???
[Please note: In this post I drew upon research from sources including Bloomberg News, a blog post by Katie Smith on Edited.Com, and Wikipedia.]
[*Also please note: "...slipped the surly bonds" is borrowed from a poem, "High Flight" by John Magee, one of my favorites.]
