In the past, athleisure wear was simply something we wore to go to the gym. That is no longer the case. As I write this to you in one of my favorite legging and crop top sets from Aerie, the market for athletic wear has completely changed. Whether you love it or hate it, it’s here, and it’s fashion.
beginnings
We all know the iconic brands for athleisure like Gymshark, Athleta, Aerie, and of course, Lululemon. They’re making some of the hottest styles in our feeds right now. But what you may not have realized is that athleisure wear being popular is not a new thing. In the early 2000s, the Juicy Couture tracksuit was everything. Everyone from Paris Hilton to Britney Spears was rocking the brightly colored velvet sets. So much so that the suit has become a staple of every Y2K-themed costume. One key difference between this wave and the current trends we’re seeing is that this was brought on by the celebs rocking them, as opposed to today where the demand for the style was driven by utility and people’s demand.
A lot of the athleisure wear we have seen become popular since 2020 has been a result of the global pandemic that hit us in March of that year. While we’re not quite seeing the same bedazzled detailing in our clothes that they were wearing then, we are seeing Lululemon taking over the world one Align top and pair of Hotty Hot shorts at a time. Thousands of companies have tirelessly tried to recreate the legendary tops from Lululemon after they took the internet by storm in the early 2020s. The demand for athletic wear increased by nearly 85% according to Forbes as of 2021 since the beginning of the pandemic. The athletic wear industry is expected to generate nearly $400 billion more by the end of 2024 than it had in 2020. It should be abundantly clear that cute workout tops and flare leggings are here to stay.
importance
So, what’s the big deal? Why should I care that athletic wear is popular? The short and sweet answer is…it’s the best thing to ever happen to women’s fashion! Having the luxury of still wearing cute matching styles and being able to remain comfortable throughout our busy lives is a clear blessing. I live in athletic wear and take every opportunity to wear it. The rise of athletic tops goes hand in hand with the increased popularity of tops with built-in bras. I don’t know about you, but I hate wearing an underwire bra that stabs into my ribs every 10 seconds and can take about three washes before it breaks, and I have to buy more anyway. But that’s just me. The rise of the built-in bra top has led to tons of smaller brands like Klassy Network and VKTORI who specialize in “brami” tops and other products that don’t require women to be shackled by a mechanism of mass destruction. Additionally, VKTORI has a focus on neurodiversity by implementing materials that will accommodate sensory needs.
We can take away from this that the consumers have a much greater influence on the fashion industry than we thought. Of course, it’s obvious that trends become popular from influencers and socialites, but the rise of modern athletic wear shows us that the average person can have just as much influence on the styles being put out by the industry giants. Our needs and wants control the demand for certain pieces and aesthetics in both fast fashion and the bigger retail industry. People were suddenly at home and could wear leggings in a meeting; better start making more leggings for them to choose from. Needless to say, the saturation of bra tops in the fashion industry will revolutionize the way retailers make our clothes and we should all be paying attention to the messages we’re sending to the clothing companies.