Pandemic fallout, activewear trends on fashion catwalks

“The global activewear market has grown from around $342.9 billion in 2020 to $380 billion this year and is projected to reach $455.4 billion by 2027. Keeping this in mind, almost all global brands are recognizing the importance of merging active and street styles.” As per Statista with the festive season and on setting winter, will boost sales by pushing up the average selling price of their apparel as well as the quantity sold across all segments. Puma is also focussing on the omnichannel shopper and online sales which will contribute 43 per cent overall sales along with celebrity endorsement with popular icons from the sporting, music and films fraternities.

As Abhishek Ganguly, MD, Puma India and Southeast Asia explains the second half of the year is 60-62 per cent of the business across channels and categories, compared to the first half at 38-40 per cent.

This time buoyancy is high for offline. Retailers are back and they say it’s our year to get back business and not just for the sportswear category but for the entire fashion industry. Brands like Puma are expanding and opening more stores even though online sales have grown. Certain platforms are growing more than 50 per cent over last year in this category.

The pandemic has been a blessing in disguise for the global activewear market with health and wellness having become top lifestyle priority. Consumer interest in the top styles in comfortable athleisure and streetwear styles is now far more than buying clothes straight off the catwalks in Europe, as the concept of hitting the gym instead of a party is the trend now.

Fitness factor dictates fashion dressing

Consumer Tracking Service data from NPD Group, the American market research company that offers industry expertise and prescriptive analytics, recently reported activewear sales revenue increased by 39 per cent from January through April 2022, compared to 2019 with 44 per cent more consumers focussing on their health and wellness. The lines demarcating fashion segments are fast blurring. It’s not just athletes who splurge on the segment, just about everyone is incorporating activewear into their style statement of comfort dressing,

As per Statista, the global activewear market has grown from around $342.9 billion in 2020 to $380 billion this year and is projected to reach $455.4 billion by 2027. Keeping this in mind, almost all global brands are recognizing the importance of merging active and street styles. According to the Global Activewear Study 2022, the top activewear purchases are shorts/capris (57 per cent), pants (56 per cent), bras (55 per cent), shirts (53 per cent), sweatshirts/hoodies (51 per cent), and underwear (44 per cent).

Puma athleisure rocking the casual segment

Sportswear giants such as Puma are hoping that the second half of the year like always,

Puma believes sportswear transcends the boundaries of the pitch and the court. Celebrity endorsement by Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Sunil Chhetri, Mary Kom, and Duti Chand sporting athleisure clothing are carrying this segment naturally into the fashionable and casual segment across all ages.

Meanwhile, e-commerce is the way forward as consumers now want to shop omnichannel but multi-brand physical stores such as Shopper Stop and Lifestyle, regional retailers like Kapsons and more than 410 mono-brand stores in India are keeping the cash registers ringing.

In fact, the brand’s gym-to-the-runway (airports) strategy look has caught on like a house on fire with people creating an airport or a casual clubbing look with sportwear garments, looking smart and trendy yet comfortable.

As Yves Saint Laurent once said “fashion fades but style is eternal” and like everything that gives pleasure, clothes too are meant to be worn with comfort blended with style, as the post-pandemic catwalk styles days are proving.