D. Elmers
Style and Comfort: Walking Hand-in-Hand
Athleisure-fever is taking over the streets of New York City.
Walking down the streets of New York City, it’s not the Empire State Building or the colorful sidewalk art in Washington Square Park that draws people’s attention; it’s the new wave of women making the sidewalks their runway in Nike sneakers and Lululemon leggings. Looking fashionable has never felt so good! As fashion starts to head in an “athleisure” inspired direction, it’s easy to be left behind by the fast moving, new fashion elite.
This shift to athletic wear, termed “athleisure,” has engulfed working women and well-off teenage girls in recent years. According to a survey published by Piper Jaffrey, there is a clear trend of upper-income teenage girls buying clothes from “fashion athletic” clothing brands instead of denim-based clothing brands. The preferal of “athleisure” among teens has grown to 16%, increasing from 1.5% in 2009. Also, preferal for denim-based clothing brands have decreased from 20.2% in 2010 to only 9.1%. This fits into the larger shift of women using their paychecks to buy expensive leggings instead of expensive jeans. According to Barclay analysts, it is estimated that this part of the apparel market will increase by 50% to over $100 billion by 2020 in the United States alone. It seems that comfort and simplicity are in, while sucking and hopping to get into a pair of jeans are out.
“People want to be comfortable,” explains fashion blogger Chase Lindsay Rosen, “There is surge towards being comfortable, but also being fashion forward.”
Rosen blogs at Athleisurely, a photo-blog centered around the athleisure lifestyle, sharing and posting new looks from photoshoots around New York City. After going through a drastic uniform change in her professional life towards more athletic clothing, Rosen realized that she could either continue wearing black leggings everyday, or go out and explore the new, colorful and trendy options in the market. From there, she started the Athleisurely instagram, posting pictures of her clothing, and overall healthy lifestyle. By the end of October 2015, Athleisurely became too much for the single phone app, and Rosen decided to convert Athleisurely into a fashion blog. Fitness fashion blogs have only continued to grow in popularity, a side effect of this athleisure fever.
However, there are still fashion blogs that cater to this athleisure lifestyle without becoming a full-on fitness blog. Instead of acai bowls recipes and deciphering the latest workout trends, Mary Krosnjar wanted to mix her love of fashion with her passion for her job. The 31-year-old sports-marketer created Sportsanista as the next step in taking her own sporty style, and inspiring others who seek the same balance between fashion and comfort.
“I’d say it’s a 50/50 between corporate “chic” and sportswear,” Krosnjar explains when asked about her own personal style, “I’m eclectic!” Looking through her blog, her chic and edgy every-day look meets comfortable fabrics and athletic inspired cuts. It’s definitely a high-fashion interpretation of the athleisure movement.
Sportsanista is just one example of athleisure becoming a lucrative market, growing from simple work-out clothes to high brand and luxurious athletic gear. As LuluLemon and Gap Athleta battle it out for the top spot in women’s athletic fashion, each sporting a large repertoire of clothing with special sweat resistant technology and fibers, other stores and brands are doing whatever it takes to keep themselves relevant and marketable. Whether it is Stella McCartney teaming up with Adidas to create a new athletic inspired fashion line, or the emergence of luxury athletic stores, the fashion world is shifting to where the money is: comfortable and stylish women and girls on-the-go. For example, Urban Outfitters has recently created its “Without Walls” campaign that emphasizes the vibe that athleisure gives off in order to appeal to their younger demographic. With the point being to make athletic wear fashionable, Urban Outfitters has taken its “hipster”-esque vibe and transformed it into their life on the move franchise, fusing the two into a collection of funky colored and abstractly designed leggings, tank tops and sports bras. One employee summed up the mentality behind Urban Outfitter’s (and her) decision to become more invested in athleisure wear.
“I wear it because it is trending, and I gravitate to trends,” commented Jessica Pichardo while greeting and helping customers at the Urban Outfitters on West 4th, in Manhattan. “The clothing is also aesthetically pleasing, and just more comfortable.”
However, comfort and trendiness aren’t the only things driving customers to stack up on leggings, tank-tops and hoodies. As more doctors warn about the health problems associated with obesity and inactiveness, the fit lifestyle is becoming more prominent. From kale smoothies to hot yoga, women are trying to find this happy medium of health. It’s becoming more about what changes can be made to create a moderately more healthy lifestyle. Athleisure wear is just a natural by-product of this health conscious movement. Major brands are starting to see that what people want is to be fit, healthy and stylish. To cater to that market, they need to create clothing lines that not only emphasize a healthy lifestyle, but fashion as well.
According to Kara Greenwood, a student and part time Model for Elite Model Management in New York City, the fashion world is only capitalizing on America’s newest obsession with health.
“Living a healthy lifestyle has been very ‘en vogue,’” Greenwood explains, citing the fact that people are starting to realize that this lifestyle change is needed if results want to be achieved. Greenwood is exposed to all the latest athleisure fashion trends, modeling this past winter for Adidas and the Y3 line by Yohji Yamamoto, and has seen the shift before her eyes.
“Making athletic wear look edgy is a big movement right now in the city, and it stems from the health trend we see,” comments Greenwood, attributing this edginess to why more and more women are using it as casual wear. If it looks this good, why wouldn’t someone want to wear it all the time?
Yet, when one walks into an athleisure brand clothing store, they can’t help but become frightened by the prices. Just perusing the LuluLemon store on Union Square or searching through their online store, prices for leggings range from $70 to $100 a pair. Their Run: Top Speed Crop leggings can cost up to $98, more than what the average person spends on groceries per week. Their sports bras and tank tops aren’t that much cheaper, coming in around $50 for a simple Power Y Tank or Pedal Pace Bra, at $52 and $54 respectively. Even the “cheaper” alternatives, like Gap Athleta and Urban Outfitters “Without Walls,” still boast prices greater than $60. For a Gap Stripes Chaturanga Capri legging and an Urban Outfitter plain black Run legging, be prepared to shell out $64. For the average woman, these prices could be a big deal breaker, forcing them to choose between fashion and necessities such as food and, if it gets really pricey, rent.
For one woman lounging in Washington Square Park in her Gap leggings, the athleisure lifestyle can be a little too much at times.
“It’s a little bit ridiculous because they are just leggings,” answers Andrea, who preferred to give only her first name, when asked about the priciness of the trend. “You could probably find them at Forever 21 for cheaper.”
Even Pichardo sees that the priciness could be a problem, especially to their teen demographic. With prices being the way they are, she believes that the demographic mostly buying from that line are 25 to 35 year olds, who are more likely to afford the trend. However, this sentiment hasn’t stopped luxury fitness/athleisure boutiques from opening up for business.
Nestled within the bustling Flat Iron District, Bandier, a luxury multi-brand athleisure boutique, sits with open doors, welcoming people in to browse their selection of trendy leggings, sports bras and tank tops. Catering to exclusively women, Bandier offers luxury brands such as Michi, London-based HPE, and Ultracor, that incorporate the “finest technical fabrics” and other sweat-diffusing technology to create high-quality, and pricey, workout gear that some women might be afraid to work out in. Who would want to sweat in a pair of $195 Rifical Leggings by Michi?
Walking through Bandier offers insight into this world of athleisure wear. Each article of clothing looks as if it should be put on display and venerated for its excellence in preventing woman from sweating too much. The store even has a section for photoshoots, which is used by Chase Lindsay Rosen, who is also a PR Consultant and Social Media expert for Bandier while running Athleisurely on the side, and others. The store itself looks like a venue for the next Adidas fashion show.
“It’s definitely the first of its kind,” comments Rosen about Bandier, while taking a break from her laptop during a meeting in a secluded part of the store. For Rosen, the priciness doesn’t phase her as much as it does other women. To her, it all depends on what you want out of the trend.
“If you are doing it just for the trend, it’s not worth it,” Rosen states matter-of-factly, her piercing blue eyes surveying the scene at Bandier. Even though the trend seems out of reach for the average woman and girl, there are plenty of alternatives so that everyone can take part in the fun.
Rosen recently did a photoshoot for Athleisurely featuring leggings, tank tops and other items from Old Navy that cost around $30. At first scared for what her money was going to give her, Rosen ended up loving the cheaper alternative. Not only were they economically feasible, they were more than she expected, combining comfort and trendiness and resulting in a slew of compliments from onlookers.
“There are options for everyone,” Rosen states excitedly, “from whether you want to be super fit or just wear a pair of comfortable leggings.”
Krosnjar echoes Rosen when it comes to affordability, explaining that it is possible to find affordable, yet fashionable athletic wear.
“There is obtainable fashion and then there is fashion we dream about,” notes Krosnjar, also citing Old Navy as one brand that makes the dream of owning quality athleisure wear a reality for the average woman and girl.
Maria Malanga, a fitness instructor at Equinox and dance education student, uses TJ Maxx and Marshalls to buy the stylish workout gear. For Malanga, wearing athleisure is a must for her non-stop lifestyle of teaching, training, and attending classes, so she needs reasonable deals in order to achieve the look. Like herself, she finds that many women opt to keep their workout clothes on after attending her classes.
“On the weekends, women either keep on their workout clothes, or they change into another clean pair of workout clothes,” comments Malanga. Whether they are going to brunch or just going grocery shopping, Malanga believes that there is a confidence booster somewhere within the fibers of the clothing.
“I know when I am grocery shopping in my LuluLemon pants, I definitely feel more confident and energetic,” she says excitedly. “When I wear my sweatpants or even jeans, I feel uncomfortable and sluggish.”
This trend, according to Malanga, Knosnjar, and Rosen, isn’t going anywhere. Whether it is because health is an ever-evolving trend, athleisure is slowly becoming more affordable, or that the market will continue to churn out product based on its demand, the fad may be here to stay. For them, its more than just a fashion trend, but what they are passionate about. Athleisure is more than comfort, but an ability to show others that being fit doesn’t have to sacrifice fashion in the process.
“I revel in the movement,” Krosnjar beams as she talks about the trend. “It’s what I based my brand on.”
Athleisure is much more than a fashion fad. It is a lifestyle movement, a movement that will continue to grow as woman seek to embrace their bodies as a vehicle of health and beauty.