Several fascinating and important trends shape Athleisure’s future. Athleisure is the fastest-growing clothing segment. Made of polyester and other high-tech synthetic fabrics, athleisure garments are attractive, versatile, stylish, and comfortable. People of all ages wear athleisure gear to work, school, social gatherings, and the gym. The clothes are breathable, lightweight, rapid-drying, wrinkle-free, moisture-wicking fabrics, and UV-repelling characteristics. Major brands like Nike, Lululemon, Under Armour, Puma, Adidas, and several emerging independent activewear companies make athleisure products.
Athleisure’s Top 10 Trends
More and more top athletic apparel, sportswear, and activewear companies are attempting to tap into and gain a share of the almost $400 billion annual athleisure wear market. The top 10 most popular athleisure industry trends businesses are embracing are:
1. Using Internet Influencers
The average person mimics the clothing choices of the most attractive, popular, and admired celebrities. Whether they are actors, athletes, singers, models, or any other type of top entertainers, many of the public used to take their fashion cues and get ideas about the hottest and coolest things to wear from them. The head athletic gear brands like Nike, Adidas, Reeboks, and Puma, as well as sports industry newcomers like Under Armour, are trying to promote their new athleisure apparel lines are using fit, hip, young, attractive, internet influencers famous for being famous for making the masses gravitate towards their brands.
While using celebrities to endorse products isn’t new, companies trying to tap into the athleisure market are allying their brands with young, largely unknown internet influencers known for their exciting, avant-garde, unique fashion choices.
2. Promoting The Active, Health And Fitness-Conscious, Lifestyle
Another popular trend among companies looking to capitalize burgeoning athleisure market is promoting their products as an essential element of today’s healthy, active, fitness-conscious lifestyle. Movement is a popular theme in many commercials for brands and companies marketing their latest hot athleisure fashion, ‘must-haves.’ Suddenly, clothing brands promote jogging, hiking, biking, yoga, and sports and recommend people use their clothing and apparel to look good, enjoy and feel comfortable doing these activities. They also imply their products will enhance the experience.
3. Targeting Young People
About 65% of athleisure products are purchased for and worn by tweens, teens, and young adults. A growing trend among athletes trying to break into this lucrative market is designing and promoting clothing to be worn by young people. In many cases, brands and companies that never had an interest in this demographic are now dedicating a large percentage of their marketing budget to create print, radio, and TV advertising designed to grab and hold the attention of young people. Often the new ad campaigns use hip-hop and other forms of popular music and activities to woo young consumers.
Many brands and companies trying to reach to youth demographic to promote their newly created athleisure products use social media marketing. Experts estimate that over 4 billion people will use social media. This makes it the perfect medium for any brand trying to get their athleisure apparel into the minds and onto the bodies of as many consumers as possible. Social media marketing improves a brand’s online presence, increases consumers’ awareness of and engagement with brands and companies, encourages on-the-fence consumers to become very lucrative clients, and is an effective platform to address customer service issues.
Social media marketing is a great way for brands to introduce their athleisure items to a wide demographic. It enhances customer engagement, can initiate a conversation about the brand and the products, expands brand exposure, increases website traffic and revenue, and creates opportunities to promote sales and specials.
5. Creating Online Communities
Another popular athleisure marketing trend is the creation of online communities by a brand or company. Created ostensibly as a resource for
consumers sponsored by a brand and not used for selling anything directly, these online communities provide customers with valuable resources and needed services and can help develop customer loyalty. Customers tend to be more likely to trust and do business with brands with which they have a bond and open lines of communication and are always ready and willing to speak with them about their questions, concerns, and desires related to the business.
6. Developing New Revenue Streams
One athleisure trend that will continue is building new business revenue streams based on the public’s growing demand for different items. Sneaker companies have begun to create athleisure garments, and brands that formerly focused on dress clothing for work and formal events now have a new division of their company that designs sportswear and activewear garments. Some clothing brands have diversified their product line to include running, track, tennis, golf, soccer, and basketball shoes to exploit the multi-billion dollar athleisure global marketing opportunities.
7. Promoting A Youth-Oriented Fashion Culture
Age is nothing but a number, and 60 is the new 40. Women of all ages are now encouraged to wear spandex tights to work, parties, and church. Men are now told to wear girdles and biker shorts to make their bodies look firm and muscular under their new athleisure outfits. Some companies design, create, and market the same clothes for teens, young adults, and the middle-aged. They tell people the style, cuts, and fabrics will make them look young, healthy, vibrant, and attractive. Marketing messages promise that lightweight, wrinkle-free, moisture-wicking synthetic fabrics and garments will make you look and feel younger, fitter, and more beautiful.
8. Versatile, Multi-Functional Clothing
One of the most common and popular athleisure trends is designing, promoting, and selling versatile, multi-functional clothing. A major selling point of athleisure garments is that they are stylish, comfortable, versatile, flexible, and attractive enough to wear to work, for a night out with friends, or for any physical activity. Companies and brands often market soft, comfortable, attractive, multi-functional yoga tops, tights, and wraps that can go from the mat to a Zoom meeting and out to eat without looking out of place. Large and small brands and companies are banking on athleisure garments’ versatility and multiple functions to attract more converts.
9. Tapping Into The Growing Asian Athleisure Market
The market for athleisure garments in Asia is poised to surpass the industry-leading one in the United States in size, value, and diversity. Savvy brands and companies are busy preparing and positioning themselves to grab and hold on to a share of what is expected to be an emerging market for athleisure apparel that will be valued in the hundreds of billions of dollars a year. A major athleisure wear trend is brands and companies devising the most effective way to become a respected, in-demand source for high-quality, premium athleisure wear for men, women, teens, and young adults in Asia in the next decade or more.
10. Developing Innovative Fabrics And Apparel
One key to the growth and continued success of the market for athleisure wear is developing innovative new fabrics and types of apparel. The comfort, durability, flexibility, and cool luxurious feel of the cutting-edge textiles used in the production of athleisure clothing have transformed it from a mere fashion trend into a globally embraced lifestyle. Initially made primarily with polyester blends, athleisure clothing now has technologically advanced anti-microbial, moisture-wicking, high evaporation rate gossamer-thin, durable fabrics. One of the most important trends in athleisure is developing even better, more refined materials and styles of apparel.
Athleisure Industry Stats and Growth Projections
- Athleisure is the largest product segment among young people worldwide.
- In some places, it accounts for over 65% of the clothing purchased by people in their teens and 20s
- Many adults now buy and wear athleisure products because they are stylish, comfortable, versatile, and socially acceptable.
- The most popular athleisure products include sneakers, t-shirts, shorts, pants, tops, blouses, dresses, and more made from eco-friendly performance materials.
- The value of the worldwide market for athleisure is estimated to be $348.95 billion.
- It is forecasted to increase to over $517.48 billion.
- Athleisure’s market value has an annual growth rate of 8.1% worldwide.
- The U.S. is the largest market for athleisure products. It accounts for about 30% of worldwide sales of nearly $400 billion.
- A growing interest in physical fitness among young people in the Asia-Pacific region and a cultural shift in apparel preferences has that region set to overtake the U.S. as the world’s largest athleisure buyer in a global market soon to be valued well over $500 billion a year.
- Nike, Adidas, Puma and Under Armour, and many top brands now compete with activewear brands Lululemon and indies like Athleta, Outdoor Voices, Patagonia, Rumi, Aerie, and Girlfriend Collective for dominance in the athleisure market.