Hear the word 'athleisure' and what comes to mind immediately? Joggers, track pants, vests, t-shirts, capris, shorts, flip-flops and sneakers? Comfortable, laid-back and oh-so fun! Open your Instagram and you’ll see some of the most famous fashion influencers around the world lounging around in the trendiest athleisure wear. But where did it all start? Here's a quick history lesson on the athleisure trend that’s taking the fashion world by storm.
Athleisure - History 101
The term athleisure is a coined term, a combination of the words' athletic' and 'leisure'. Having started as a basic, gym wear option, this industry today is worth more than $300 billion USD! So what makes athleisure special? Made of innovative fabrics that prioritise comfort and have a minimal vibe, athleisure wear is trendy as it is popular. But did you know the term was put on the map by Women's Wear Daily in 1997 when they defined the style as gym-like but not really for the gym?
Over the years, the popularity of this trend can mostly be attributed to the American obsession with casual, sporty wear - a look that could work for both ‘at the gym’ to ‘drinks with friends,’ time. As more and more Americans started subscribing to this trend, it's global popularity began to soar, and many big brands entered the space with dedicated athleisure lines. Over the years big names like Stella McCartney and Virgil Abloh have popularised athleisure on the ramp, and social media has contributed to the popularity of these outfits as more celebrities choose to embrace the trend. From Kanye's Yeezys to Beyoncé's Ivy Park x Adidas collection, many popular brands in the space are making record sales today.
Sporto Popularizes Affordable Athleisure in India
At Sporto, we have made athleisure wear proudly desi, choosing fabrics, design ideas and manufacturing techniques that are perfect for the hot Indian weather, sweat and dust. For example, Sporto uses fast-drying microfiber for greater comfort in hot and humid weather where chances of perspiration are high. We have also included our revolutionary reinforcement stitch technique in our athleisure styles to improve their durability because, in a chaotic country like India, everybody is always on the move. Our clothes are super low maintenance since they are made with anti-pilling fabric and machine-dyed colour which lasts long. When we said 'comfort overall', we meant it, and it was important for us to provide value for money to our customers.
That’s why we believe athleisure isn’t just the present...it’s the future too. Super popular, super accessible and here to stay.
