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Fashion Friday: Athleisure and Sportswear Trends in North America

By Guest Contributor

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This month’s Fashion Friday podcast series by Euromonitor International analyses how the pandemic has impacted the sportswear and apparel industry in North America. The apparel and footwear industry was among the hardest hit by COVID-19. As cases surged and lockdowns caused severe economic uncertainty, consumer confidence dropped sharply in the early days of the pandemic. Consumers quickly shifted their spending, prioritising essentials like groceries and household items while cutting back on discretionary products like clothing, footwear and accessories.

You can also listen to this story. Find the full podcast by Euromonitor here.

The cancellation of events and the expansion of remote work and learning further weakened demand throughout the year. Increased time spent at home amid lockdowns and other restrictions led consumers to dress completely differently. While working, learning and socialising all from their own homes, consumers increasingly chose casual and comfortable clothing like loungewear and other sportswear items over more formal or trend-driven products. While all apparel and footwear categories declined in 2020, sportswear items like comfortable tops and sweatpants performed far better than more formal and occasion wear like suits and dresses.

In 2021, more and more consumers are returning to offices, gathering with friends, and even taking vacations, and apparel sales are starting to return in stride across categories. While more fashion-forward items like dresses, skirts and jeans will certainly see a bounce back from record low sales in 2020 as consumers are finding opportunities to wear these items again, the long-term outlook for non-sports apparel is not as optimistic as it is for sportswear. In fact, the social and behavioral trends that drove sports-inspired and performance apparel before and during the pandemic will only continue to take shape in the coming years, and as such the lines between fashion and sportswear will further blur.

As hybrid work becomes more common, in-office dress codes will relax even further as companies try to attract more remote workers to the office. And with some consumers transforming their homes into an interactive group fitness studio, or at least growing fond of socially-distant outdoor activities like hiking, running and walking, many consumers will lead more active lifestyles than they had before the pandemic. As a result, sportswear sales growth will outpace non-sportswear sales over the coming years. Consumer demand will continue to shift toward more versatile, comfortable, and fashionable sportswear pieces for all occasions, including working, socialising, exercising and more.

As consumers’ evolving lifestyles continue to drive demand for sportswear, brands will not only need to deliver in terms of product offering and shopping experience, but also on the promises they make to increasingly vocal and values-driven consumers.

Written and created for FashionUnited by Euromonitor. Explore more fashion-related podcasts by Euromonitor here.

Athleisure
Euromonitor
Sportswear
Trends