In the not so distant past, workout wear might have consisted of sweatpants or shorts and a simple T-shirt. The premise was that the clothing one wore to the gym didn’t need to be flashy or stylish as it was just going to get dirty anyway. Thankfully, those days are long gone.
Athletic clothing has become sleeker, cleaner and infinitely more stylish than it ever has before. On any city street or in any suburban mall one can find several different retailers selling high-end workout clothing, shoes and accessories, and the trend toward fashionable fitness wear shows no signs of slowing.
We need look no farther than the people around us to see that workout clothing has become more mainstream. At one time athletic wear was rarely seen outside of the gym, but today almost everyone dons yoga pants or running shoes and heads to the store or even to work. Has workout clothing become a style in and of itself?
Let’s explore some of the reasons behind this new trend and find out if the athletic style is here to stay.
Send in the Designers
At one time companies like Nike and Adidas had a corner on the workout wear market. If you wanted or needed athletic clothing or shoes, the odds were good that you’d purchase it from one of the major athletic brands. In recent years, however, the market has exploded with numerous other brands intent on grabbing their share of the workout wear pie.
Stella McCartney recently partnered with Adidas to create a line of athletic wear, and Calvin Klein has entered the workout wear market with a line of fashionable gym attire for women. Lululemon has snagged the corner on the yoga market and sells its line of yoga pants for as much as $100.00 per pair. Consumers have demonstrated that they’re willing to pay top dollar for athletic fashion, and the manufacturers and designers are capitalizing on that trend.
As with any trend, fashion styles come and go, but this one may be a little bit different. As the athletic wear giants invest billions of dollars in product innovation and advertising for their workout gear, smaller companies that specialize in the niche market are popping up everywhere. As more specific methods of exercise become popular, like CrossFit and Barre, clothing and accessories unique to these programs are sold as well.
Does Fashion Equal Fitness?
While some may see this workout wear trend as simply a trend, some researchers have differing opinions. Psychologists at Northwestern University theorized that clothing affects one’s behavior and attitude, and it turns out that they were right.
Now that workout wear has gone mainstream, does that mean that those who wear it are more fit than those who don’t? In many cases, it does. Studies have shown that different clothing sparks different attitudes when worn, and those who wear fitness clothing are much more likely to actually wear it to the gym.
