SPORTS AND LEISURE
The importance of
Athleisure The consumer desire for the active lifestyle, coupled with creative partnerships, has lead to this massive trend.... The gap between sports and leisure brands is closing – so much so that the term ‘athleisure’ has been used for some time now. The trend toward athleisure wear has been growing steadily over the last few decades, but in recent times it has exploded. Sports wear worn in the day-to-day activities of the individual is increasingly popular – indeed, there was a statistic, (perhaps exaggerated) making the rounds that around 80% of sports wear sold is never used for the activity that it was designed. Indeed, the most successful crossovers of sport and leisurewear seem to be veering towards the lifestyle and comfort, rather than intense sport practicality. There is a global trend towards health, fitness and wellness, and this is shown in the most
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popular fashion and lifestyle brands. Lululemon is a brand well-associated with this trend. The athletic apparel retailer is a ‘yoga-inspired’ clothing company that has used clever partnerships and celebrity influence to help grow the brand. Two years ago, Lululemon teamed with with shoe brand Athletic Propulsion Labs (APL) to create sneakers featuring colors exclusive to the yoga retailer. It has also partnered with celebrity trainer Taryn Toomey to create yoga pants and tops for women. The company has recently signed a partnership with Francesca Hayward, the principal dancer of the Royal Ballet of London, for pieces inspired by the Royal Ballet archives. Lululemon products are also frequently spotted being worn by popular celebrities, and influencers, which accounts for a spike in sales. Times really have changed – a couple of decades ago, donning sportswear for daily life was not the ‘norm’, but fast-forward to today, and the athleisure market has grown by a rate of 20-25% annually, with the women and children’s sector reporting the strongest growth, according to the report published by Allied Market Research titled, Activewear Market by Product and Fabric: Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast. Brands such as Prana, which markets ‘sustainably made clothes, for climbing, yoga, and travel, and The North Face, which has capitalized on the market for outdoor adventures, really sell themselves as total lifestyle brands as
well as practical apparel wear. The sport and leisure style has become one of the largest categories in the ‘sneaker space’ in the U.S. According to the NPD Group, demand for sport leisure styles has surged by 17% in a year, with sales of ‘running-inspired’ sneakers jumped 39% and casual athletic styles rose 24%. Partnerships and brand extensions have certainly contributed to this. Matthew M. WilTOTAL BRAND LICENSING