Years after the pandemic subsided, many in the fashion industry are still tied to the “athleisure” they used to wear every day. Living rooms have been transformed into makeshift yoga spaces, doors are outfitted with pull-up bars from Amazon, and many Gen Zers are gathering dust in the corner with resizable dumbbells.
As fashion shifts towards baggier, more forgiving silhouettes, athleisure brands have chosen to offer lifestyle wear that can be worn outside of the gym. These brands became popular outside the ironclad walls of purebred lifting gyms, providing men with a trend that had real-world applications in fitness wear.
It’s no secret that fitness equipment reigns supreme in the casual scene when it comes to women’s wear. Brands like Alo and Lululemon have created full two-piece fitness sets that, if styled correctly, can look super chic on the streets of major cities. The same goes for brands like Gymshark and YoungLA, which have a traditional bodybuilding background rather than the lifestyle approach of the aforementioned labels.
When it comes to men’s clothing, there seem to be different brands. On the one hand, they are creating a collection with clear lifestyle marketing that can be applied to both spaces. Meanwhile, traditional menswear has been modified to suit everyone’s ideology. Think back to the comfortable days you spent sitting in your team jersey after a game or wearing tight-fitting gym clothes. The brand wants you to feel that level of comfort while still looking smart.
Percival and Manière de Voir have moved to lightweight suiting materials often used in moisture-wicking performance gear. Germany’s SPSR Studio has successfully created wide-trimmed pants with streetwear graphics that look like a suit but offer sweatpants levels of comfort. It all stems from fitness attire and, on a deeper level, the team wear that most children felt appropriate while growing up. As we do so, our fashion sense changes, but our insatiable desire to be comfortable remains the same.
PAUSE takes a deeper look into this trend and offers four tips on how to incorporate the fitness clothing you currently own or are considering purchasing into your daily fashion rotation.
Uniqlo is currently unable to participate in the T-shirt game for various reasons. Low price, boxy fit, perfectly cut sleeves, and AIRism fabric provides sweat wicking and breathability. These items have almost completely replaced the graphic-heavy designs that were so popular during the hypebeast fashion era of the 2010s. Take a step back and try purchasing a t-shirt in a baggy athletic material instead of the classic cotton. That way, it will last longer and fit as intended for longer. After all, these were developed for sweating it out in the gym and working out at your own pace.
