Why athleisure is here to stay
In the Philippines, the ever-growing athleisure trend is driven by Filipinos’ focus on their health, both physical and mental.
Iron kettle exercise.
Fashion aesthetics can bring many trends, but one is taking the industry by storm.
Athleisure: a contraction of the words “athlete” and “leisure,” is a type of athletic apparel designed for workouts and everyday wear. It is more than just an amalgamation of sports jackets, yoga pants, tights, tracksuits, sneakers and so on, but rather a liberating alternative for people to go about their daily lives with ease.
According to The Defiant Co., the rise of athleisure can be attributed to the popularity of yoga pants in the mid to late 2000s. However, the origins of athleisure can be traced back to the 1930s, with American sportswear company Champion’s production of hoodies for the working class, and the invention of spandex by the American chemical manufacturer DuPont in 1958.
K-POP stars Jisoo and Jin for Alo Yoga.
PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF ALO YOGA
The emergence of athleisure continued with German sportswear giant Adidas popularizing sport-to-street tracksuits in the 1960s. It also helped that celebrities like Beyoncé and Rihanna endorsed athleisure brands in the years that followed.
Heuritech, however, states that Lululemon was the first company to serve “athletic super girls” when it released its first pair of boogie pants in 1998. Now, Alo Yoga, an indie brand back then, Vuori Clothing, and Epoque Evolution each carved out a niche in this segment.
The impact of athleisure was so iconic to the fashion world that Net A Porter once listed a Nike tank top for $30, a Karl Lagerfeld sweatshirt for $235, and a cashmere and linen track pants from The Elder Statesman for $600.
In the Philippines, the ever-growing athleisure trend is driven by Filipinos’ focus on their health, both physical and mental. Another factor is the Covid-19 pandemic that led many to eat more nutritious food and make other various routine changes to boost their health and wellness.
Horizon Grand View Research records an expected compound annual growth rate of 11.1 percent in Asia Pacific’s athleisure market from 2025 to 2030. Major companies like Nike, Adidas, Lululemon, Anta Sports and Decathlon remain key players in the market.
