ASBCI Yearbook 2019 www.asbci.co.uk

ATHLEISURE THE NEW WEDNESDAY 14 NOVEMBER 2018 Crowne Plaza Hotel, Nottingham

Athleisure is here to stay. The trend has transformed the landscape with Industry sponsors: its blending of function, comfort, and style, and it is still growing. Speakers at the ASBCI’s conference into the Athleisure juggernaut all agreed: Athleisure is an evolution in fashion that has transformed the way we think of and has given us something we are not prepared to give up – comfort.

The last few years have seen sales of Athleisure and the brands within it. women’s trainers overtake high heels and While the trend is here to stay, the sales of surpass . Fashion proliferation of players will inevitably lead norms are changing, but Athleisure is more to market saturation, so differentiation and than just a fashion trend. Like the brands the ability to deliver the whole package, that are doing it best, Athleisure is a magic not just the right garments, will determine mix of fitness, fashion, and social media the winners and losers. The experience is that reflects the themes of our busy, becoming as important as the clothes, and Media sponsor: modern lives. It is both aspirational and the brands that can deliver both look set to practical, stylish and functional, but above have a healthy future. all it is about lack of restriction – the ability The roots of Athleisure lie in a confluence to transition effortlessly between activities of cultural, social, and fashion factors, and seasons, between home and the office, Graeme Moran from Drapers told delegates the gym and the bar, and to look and feel as he opened the conference. Culturally, the good while doing it. wellness lifestyle is a trend that transcends Innovation in both style and functionality genders and generations. And as exercise is essential for the continued success of has become cool it has gone social, with

Left: row left to right: Graeme Moran, Terence Senford, Angela Cody, Dr. Julie King, Claire O’Neill Bottom row left to right: Jovita Balseviciene, Helen Colebourn, Jutta Vo Quang and Anne Davies Below: Graeme Moran, head of content: fashion and features at Drapers

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celebrity adherents and social media influencers driving the trend on. At the same time codes have relaxed and fashion has become more casual and versatile. And so activewear meets fashion in ‘the perfect storm’ – the more people exercise, the more they post about it, and the better they want to look while doing it. And it’s not slowing down. Both the specialist brands and the newcomers are cashing in on the Athleisure market. ‘It’s not a trend anymore, it’s a lifestyle shift that fashion has capitalised on,’ said Graeme. And while the market might become saturated, fabric innovation will give a competitive edge to brands as functional fabrics go mainstream, and sustainability and diversity offer opportunities for differentiation.

of the active range at M&S. ‘Athleisure is Above: the evolution of clothing and it is too Angela Cody, designer of the active comfortable to go away because it range at M&S enhances lives.’ There is, she added, no Left: turning back the trend for comfort, and Terence Senford, head of men’s more casual and versatile apparel is athleisure at Boss Menswear blurring the lines between clothing Bottom: departments as the technology and The Bureau Veritas team innovation of finds its way into everyday wardrobes. It is also influencing other clothing categories, with and Terence Senford from Boss Menswear non-wired the underwear of choice for took delegates on an ‘emotional journey’ the legging generation. Therefore, retailers through the evolution of Athleisure since need to take a different approach to design the 1970s. From the workout craze of the and evolve the everyday in collections, 1980s, which birthed the Reebok Freestyle focusing on trans-seasonal functionality trainer, to the adoption of premium sports and performance-inspired essentials. “BOTH THE SPECIALIST brands by subculture in the 1990s and the Understand the lifestyle of your consumers, rise of the sports star as fashion icon in the talk to them, and find out how they are BRANDS AND THE 2000s, the alignment of sportswear and wearing Athleisure. And rethink the rules. has a long history. It was the Use design solutions to enhance the NEWCOMERS ARE addition of social media into the mix that customer experience, keep innovating, kick-started Athleisure, however. Glued to and communicate how technology can CASHING IN ON THE our phones, we have been given a window make your customer’s life easier. ATHLEISURE MARKET.” into other people’s lives, and we have also turned the camera on ourselves. Influencers are now at the helm, and it is no longer enough to just put the clothes out there – thanks to social media, the experience is just as important. And the generation just coming to adulthood – Generation Z – who were born connected to the digital world, will soon have the biggest spending power. Athleisure is embedded in youth culture, said Terence; this trend is just getting started.

Athleisure feels like it is at the beginning of its lifecycle, agreed Angela Cody, designer

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Above: Athleisure is the defining fashion trend of with an explanation of different functional Claire O’Neill, marketing manager, Lycra the 21st century, Jutta Vo Quang from properties common to Athleisure Top right: Freudenberg told delegates, and garments, from stretch and thermal Jutta Vo Quang, global strategic marketing, performance apparel is leading the way. resistance to moisture management and Freudenberg The urban lifestyle is increasingly UV protection, and the standards and test Bottom right: time-poor, work life and leisure frequently methods used to certify claims. She also Helen Colebourn, softlines technical overlap, and people are prioritising looked ahead to potential future concepts consultant at Bureau Veritas CPS UK experiences over ownership. In response, for technical Athleisure in the ongoing wardrobes are becoming less segmented, alignment of function and comfort, such as with consumers seeking garments that micro encapsulation. Traditionally used in will straddle different activities. medical textiles for drug delivery, this has Meanwhile social media and fitness been adopted by fashion for moisturising apps inspire greater participation and and even garments with in-built performance, and so the need for insect repellency, one example of the way Athleisure grows and with it the demand Athleisure is opening up new avenues of for comfort. Comfort is now the most innovation and differentiation for brands sought-after quality in fashion and and consumers. consumers are willing to pay more for it. Athleisure is practical fashion with such This means performance features that broad appeal that almost anyone can be an contribute to comfort are desirable, and of Athleisure consumer, said Claire O’Neill these, Jutta identified elasticity and from Lycra, one of those invisible lightness and stretch in thermal insulation technologies that has become visible as the features that, once discovered, through marketing. And that means that consumers don’t want to lose. To make the people are buying the garments for most of this demand, apparel brands need different purposes. ‘Our research shows it Below: to evolve function and style together and is not just for fitness fanatics – there is an Q&A session make the technology a selling point. even split between those buying for leisure If function is becoming a selling point, and active use.’ Therefore, garments must brands and retailers can capitalise on the be multipurpose, functional, and, first inherent and engineered performance and foremost, comfortable. Stretch is characteristics of fibres and fabrics through fundamental to comfort, and stretch, of point-of-sale marketing, said Helen course, is what Lycra provides, but the Colebourn from testing house Bureau brand’s developments for the Athleisure Veritas. But any claims need to be verified sector are designed to enhance comfort and delivered on, which means testing and through more than just stretch. From the certifying garments for their performance Lycra Sport fabric range, which grades characteristics. Helen provided delegates fabrics against indexes of power, comfort,

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and energy, to fibres designed to maximise Athleisure design muscles with the moisture-management, colour retention, introduction of a new category in the and fit, the Lycra portfolio caters to the Fashanne Awards 2019. Set up by BBC diverse requirements of the Athleisure presenter and journalist Anne Davies to consumer. There’s even a true-black fibre celebrate the wealth of up-and-coming that eliminates elastane grin-through design talent in the Midlands, the and is ideal for leggings, the ultimate Fashanne Awards are all about connecting Athleisure garment. students with the industry they will work in. ‘The reality is that most of the Athleisure represents huge opportunities, but it also comes with challenges. Technical students who enter the awards will never fabrics are expensive, and the market is show their collections on a catwalk again, heading increasingly towards more but they will become part of the backbone customised products and smaller, faster of this industry for many years to come,’ production runs. ‘Speed is the name of the said Anne. ‘The awards provide a forum game in fashion,’ said Jovita Balseviciene where employers can see the next from Lectra. At the same time, Industry 4.0 generation of talent under one roof.’ is as much about mass customisation as it is Athleisure is one of a number of new about mass production. Jovita talked categories, including sustainability, delegates through new Lectra apps introduced to reflect current trends, designed to speed up decision-making, and Anne is also hoping to expand the maximise fabric use, and pave the way judging panel and offer winners Above: for larger-scale personalised production. appropriate internships by inviting Anne Davies, founder of the Fashanne Awards The cloud-based solutions include Quick industry involvement in the event. Top right: Jovita Balseviciene, solution consultant, Lectra Estimate, which enables pattern makers to Ultimately, Athleisure is not just about calculate and forecast fabric consumption, clothes, and that’s why the bubble isn’t while Quick Nest can process an unlimited going to burst any time soon. Underpinned number of marker lists simultaneously for by a fundamental shift in how we live our production teams. Finally, Lectra’s Cutting lives and fuelled by a culture of selfies and Room 4.0 digital solution facilitates greater celebrities, Athleisure has done what few customisation by enabling businesses to fashion trends have managed and crossed handle high numbers of small orders and gender and generational divides as part of optimising made-to- processes to a lifestyle that values health and wellness allow them to make less, but more of what and prizes comfort, functionality, and the customer wants. versatility. Athleisure is about breaking Finally, delegates heard how fashion down barriers and blurring lines, and the students will have a chance to flex their opportunities are immense.

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